Chrestomathy: Are We Worth It? Aug. 2021 by The Calhoun School

Chrestomathy - Are Humans Worth It? Chrestomathy (from the Greek words krestos, useful, and mathein, to know) is a collection of choice literary passages. In the study of literature, it is a type of reader or anthology that presents a sequence of example texts, selected to demonstrate the development of language or literary style ______________________________________________________________________________

JULY/AUGUST 2021

SPECIAL ISSUE

A Publication of the Seventh Grade Students of the Calhoun Middle School

Introduction The material in this publication comes from the creative minds of the seventh graders of 2020/2021. “Are We Worth It?” was inspired by The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak. It is one of the main themes explored in the story, where the narrator, a very tired Death because it is World War II and he has millions of souls to carry away, wonders about the worth of humans. He is puzzled by their contradictions in values, with the good and evil existing in connection with each other. The last line of the book, from the narrator, is, “I am haunted by humans.” The seventh graders took that idea and what follows is their thoughts and insights about our species. From National Geographic: Millie and Marcia, in the photograph below, are fraternal twins and best friends. The fact that one is black and the other is white has never been an issue for them. “When people see us, they think that we’re just best friends,” Marcia says. “When they learn that we’re twins, they’re kind of shocked because one’s black and one’s white.” Their mother calls them her “one in a million” miracle. But it’s not that rare that a biracial couple would have fraternal twins who each look more like one parent than the other, says statistical geneticist Alicia Martin.

Are Humans Worth It? Clementine Borden I don’t like generalizing about humans. We know humans are responsible for murder, for pollution, for hurting other people, physically and mentally. I didn’t say all humans, but some. Then again, humans can be strong and they can fight for what is right, they can be teachers, helping children on their way to life, they can be kind and fearless. Talking about humans as a whole, puts those two groups together. We live in a world with both killers and careers. It’s as hard to separate them and to talk about them as if they were the same thing. When I think about someone I don’t think about them, their physical being. I think about their experiences. Humans can’t be seen for their harsh words or their mistakes. If I looked at my friends for all their mistakes, I would probably have no friends. Sometime, this changes. Of course, there are things that are unforgivable and uncalled for. Those moments might not be forgiven. They have the power to be forgiven, but not forgotten. These questions are more of whether life worth it. Thinking about staying in this world when it’s so simple to just leave. Whether humans are worth it, that’s hard to say. You can see humans as Jewish, Christian, Buddhist etc. You could see people as White, Black, Asian etc. You could see people as smart, stupid, or mentally ill. Or you could see someone for who they are individually. You can see them for the struggles they have gone through and pushed through, or the beauty of them inside and out. You can see them for their personality. Humans have no value, their stories do. When you walk through a crowded street, flooded with humans of all different kinds, you don’t see them as kind or mean, loving or hateful, fearful or fearless. You just see humans. If you were put on the spot and there was some random person in front of you and you got to decide what happened to them, what would you do? You’ve never met this person. How do you know if they donate to charities, or are a parent, a doctor or a teacher? How would you know they had been to prison two times on the charge of murder? You wouldn’t. That’s how I feel when I think of humans. I can’t decide how to feel because everyone is so different. I don’t want to group people like Trump with people like Martin Luther King Jr., people like Ivan the Terrible with people like Princess Diana, people like Hitler with people like Rudy and Liesel and Max from The Book Thief. In The Book Thief there are people like Nazis and Hitler, who make me lose hope in humanity, and then people like Max and Liesel and Rudy who push through again and restore it. People who are in the worst situations and still want to go on. When Max was put into a confinement camp, he still made the best of it and got out. And Hans, who gave bread to the Jews, even though he knew there would be consequences. Rudy, who

pushed to get Liesel's love even when he didn’t get it in return, up until the last second when Liesel accepted that she loved him too. He brought her shoes back to her, he stood in the freezing water with her book, he walked with her, he stayed with her. And Liesel who took care of Max and brought him things so he could see the outside world. She brought him weather reports and newspapers and objects that had little significance but ended up meaning the world to him. So in the end if you were to ask me if humans are worth it, I couldn’t tell you. There’s too many sides to humans, bo,th good and bad, that make that decision so hard for me. I could say yes, but that would be saying that the bad people are worth it, which they are not. Or I could say no, and that would leave out all the beautiful people that have done beautiful things for the better. But I do think that change is a good thing, and is possible even for the worst people. George Bernard Shaw said, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” and that means a lot to me. If you can change how you want to act and behave you can change so many other things. Yes, I do believe that there are some people who are so awful that there is nothing good to come from them. But if we kept them out of the picture, and accepted that people do in fact change for the better, humans could be worth it.

Victoria Rivera Are humans worth their existence? This will be a question that humans would ask themselves thousands of years later; it is such a complex question after all. Humans have the ability to create magic and beauty but yet some decide to create destruction and misery. Humans can love like there is no tomorrow but yet they can hate like their life depends on it. No human is born evil, it is created by other humans and situations, and these poor souls are victims to the sins of others and now are left to suffer and the only pleasure they get is by causing others the same pain they have carried in their hearts. This world also carries saints, they are rare and hard to kind but once you discover one it is impossible to forget them, they glow with the most beautiful light imaginable and they have a warm smell that makes your eyes soften. The Holocaust really questioned the worth of humans. If I were God I would have ended it all, to see my creations despise each other to the point of torturing and killing would have created a hole in my heart. Despite all of this I do believe that humans have become more loving creatures. The Oxygen Thief (it is a book written by an anonymous writer) is a perfect example that horrible and straight-up evil people will always exist and we cannot control that but there will be people like my mother in this world that give humanity hope. We deserve to live, we all do and we will strive.

Are Humans Worth It? The Bricklayer, a story Brian Stone I have always loved my cigarettes. They bring a bit of joy into my everlasting life. I am the one to smoke it until it is the size of my fingernail, which burns but is less wasteful. Oh, I haven’t told you what I do. Here it is, in full.

For every calamity, wrongdoing, or harmful act that a human does, I lay ten bricks. It doesn’t matter the severity of each, I still do ten. I have much time to ponder, and I often think about humans, or myself. I wonder what I did to deserve this, and when did I start my job. I really don’t know. I probably will not get a break until the last firework of the grand finale of the human race ends. All I know is that I am here, laying bricks almost constantly. I know Death as well, he’s a good guy you know. I’m glad I’m not him though. He deals with a lot of shit, and has seen some as well. He has stopped by once or twice, and although I asked to go with him he denied. Oh, I forgot to tell you what I am building with all of these bricks. I am building a statue, a shrine if you will. Specifically, for all of the victims of these acts. I am sure that I will be able to finish this statue before the end. At the rate that we are going now, I can probably make like 100. My most confusing, yet interesting, yet disgusting ponder so far is are humans worth it? Are they worth these bricks, and the cuts on my hands? Are they worth the pain and agony, they seem to bring upon each other? Are they worth it? I used to have a different view on this, but things have changed in me. I was so young and naive, I couldn’t let myself get over the anger and despair that they brought me. Humans are worth it. There is much grief that comes with humanity, though this is what makes them stronger. I can’t wrap my head around why they harm each other, but I can wrap my head around why it empowers them. The human instinct to being attacked is to fight back. I have seen it with my own two eyes. I laid sixty million bricks, for the six million dead. There were twelve million eyes beating me down with sadness, but each of them knew they made a difference. They knew that even though they shouldn’t have died, they did die fighters. The reason why I say every Jew who died in the Holocaust was a fighter is because they didn’t give up. Although some lost hope, they did not give up. It’s quite confusing when you first hear that from me, because they seem like the same thing. Giving up and losing hope are like the same thing right? They are not, think about it. I honestly don’t give a shit what other jobs there are, I want a new one. It is depressing, not only because it is repetitive, but what I do has a lot of pain and suffering. I was there for the holocaust, I was there for the plague, and I was there for everything. All of these events, I was there, but what I do doesn’t have to do with death necessarily. Have you ever said something to someone, and thought maybe you shouldn’t have said that. Yeah, well I done did ten for that. It doesn’t matter if you regret it, or even do something kind to even it out. Yeah, that's not fair, but it's the rules. What rules do you ask? The ones that Life put in place. Life is pretty short, and very complex. He is different for everyone. Some people love him, some hate him. Anyway, he makes those rules for guys like Death and me. And if we don’t follow them, we vanish. Sun, and Moon both broke the rules. They didn’t get the full punishment though, they split it. That is why Moon disappears in the day, and Sun disappears in the night. I hear when Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. I guess for me it is, when Life gives you bricks, you lay ten for the victims. How many “things” are there like me? That is a question that I ask myself way too much, because I don’t know. Think of me as a henchman. I am here to do Life’s dirty work, so that he can enjoy himself. I don’t know what the boss man's plan is, I just go with it so that I don’t vanish. I am considering whether vanishing would be better than what I do now. After all, I will get a break. It sounds grim, but it is not. I will just get replaced and forgotten. Life doesn’t need me, and I don’t need Life. Sorry for the rant, but I needed to.

Now, I have told you about some of my thoughts, What I do, Life, Sun, Moon, and Death. What I haven’t told you is who I am. I am Reparation I am the opposite of an executioner. An executioner kills one, for the wrongdoings of them. I make amends for ones who have been hurt, by the wrongdoers. My life is complex and simple at the same time. I do the same thing every day, yet I feel like it is different. Maybe it is because what I do is for something good. Maybe I, Reparation, do mean something in this hollow wine bottle of a world, filled with good, bad, and ugly.

Sanae Honore Brown Eyes The eyes of the blue eyed girl She wears her pain like it’s invisible You will never see it Except her Ocean Eyes Which will steer you away from the most important thing I don’t think you realize how easy it is to fall into the ocean Which is your eyes

But yours are brown Your eyes represent the ground You've always hated your eyes And wished they were blue They have a tint inside them That have yet to bloom Your eyes are rare So rare they must not be true So yes Her eyes are blue Your eyes are brown Your eyes show the treasures Hidden beneath the ground Her eyes can hold rage That turn out on the sea Your eyes bring out the trees That lets us humans breathe Maybe her eyes are blue But your eyes hold your crown calling out queen Because they hold the purest riches The world has ever seen

Melesha Mirabal Humans are worth it. They create. They build. They help. They try their best to make the world a wonderful place for all. They help ducks cross the road.

They help an elderly woman cross the road even if they’re late to a meeting. They make food for people, and those people will pay them for it. They make food for people, even if those people cannot pay for it. They educate people who need educating. They clothe people when it's freezing cold. They let others talk to them about their problems even if their ears feel like falling off. They give it their all when trying to keep another species safe. They entertain the bored. They give music to the ears of people who want to listen, and even of the people who don’t. They take what they have and make the most of it. Humans are the most humane thing you could find. Humans aren’t worth it. They break. They burn. They take. They see people and animals in danger and do nothing at all. They destroy the Earth that they live on and think that’s not enough so they move onto other planets. They ask for more as if they don’t have enough. They torture innocent people just because they’re bored. They take children away from parents who just wanted to spend time with them. They talk and take from others behind their backs. They murder those who they love for their own gain. They only think about take, take, take and never the giving part. They will wish harm on others since something didn’t go their way. They only consider themselves in situations. Humans are the most destructive thing you could find. Humans are and always will be never worth it Humans are not worth it They are given something and destroy it for fun or their own gain. They may have some good parts about them but in the end the destruction they make is far worse than anything good that could make up for it. They hurt the ones they say they would love forever. They take from people who don’t even have. They kill the innocent who have never done anything wrong. They call people monsters when they themselves are the monsters. They won't accept those for things they can’t change. They will kill in order to “make things right” when killing isn’t even the right thing to do. They destroy in order to make but for who are they making things for? They think that allowing others to be “free” fixes the issues and horrible things that they’ve done. Last of all they never apologize. Humans are one thing I will never forgive.

Chailah Epperson Some humans are worth it, most are actually. I feel like the majority of humans are worth it. I mean there are a lot of people that do bad things, but I believe that people can change if they try hard enough. To be honest, I’m not really sure if humans are always worth it. On one hand, you could be great friends with another human, but on the other hand there could be humans trying to kill another human. It’s very confusing when you think about it. I mean what’s the point of a whole species being here if they're just going to kill each other? There are a lot of great things about humans but there are also a lot of bad things that balance them out. For example, a lot of people care about climate change and yet humans are the main reason it’s here in the first place. If humans never existed the earth would have a lot less problems to deal with but also humans have solved a lot of the earth problems as well. The point is no matter what reason you give there is always going to be an opposite. You can’t have one good thing that humans did without having a bad thing to back it up. I do actually believe humans are worth it though. Without them this planet would be really boring. Plus, life would be no fun if there weren't any problems. Problems are meant to be solved and I doubt that actual animals have the brainpower to do it on their own. They need help from us humans to get the job done.

Are We Worth It? Max Rosenberg Are we worth it? Is all the violence and hate silenced by the love we hold? Can we be better? Can we change? Can we be forgiven for all we have done? I say yes.

In the darkest of days, The coldest of nights,

The love that we carry beneath the dread of hate, warms our souls. The love and connection swims like a dolphin, Bouncing up and down in the water on the strings of our hearts. Out of all the hate and terror, Comes the arms that tie us together, The sun that warms the sand, The last punch that makes them fall. Love. But there is no good without bad. In all sweet comes sour, In all fun comes dread, In all love comes hate. The killing never stops, It will go on forever. What’s the point in having poisoned happiness? We have bathed in a salt-watered bath, And we are soaking wet with the times of violence, Hate and conflict. I say what’s the point?

Our world has become tangled, Tangled with love and affection, But also hate and violence. Dancing on a thin thread of needle, Are the ones who hold us together. The thread that holds us together. The ones who understand both the good and the bad, The warm and the cold, The light and the dark, Are the ones who keep us alive. The small that holds the big in its arms.

We humans are walking on a thin rope between the two sides of this world. We are digging ourselves a bigger grave the more we do these bad things. How long can we keep this up? How much time do we have? We can change now, Or we can fight until the clock finally stops.

Through all the mixture of feelings, Are we really worth it?

Is it possible to change for the better? There is no good without bad. The bad is part of life, And it comes in a package of the good. So with love comes hate, And it will always be that way. In that case, I say yes.

Mars Lopez Are Humans Worth It? It depends, really, what “it” is. Time? Attention? Care? Each “it” comes in its own, individual answer, so I cannot lump them together.

Are Humans Worth Time? To put it blatantly, no. We will all die, whether you believe there is an afterlife or not, your heart will stop beating and you will be in a coffin. Memories of people, built with time, will become meaningless, now that you have no one to share them with, those memories will die with us. That time you helped someone up the stairs with groceries? On their deathbed, you aren’t thought of once. Your relationships, your partners, your wife or husband? I hope you’re buried with them by your side, so you can share forever with them. But after a year or two, you can’t know who is next to you, under you, on top of you.

Are Humans Worth Attention? Another blatant no, too much attention can be turned into bad habits. Too much attention as an adolescent makes you become attached to the thought of eyes being on you all the time, whether it be for an achievement or reprimand. Too much attention on your interests and opinions will make people believe that their opinions

are everyone’s opinion because everyone wanted to know as a child. This can lead to becoming a dictator, both metaphorically and literally.

Are Humans Worth Care? This is the only one that I can say yes to. I believe that humans are in fact worth care. With each passing day, month, and year, humans do more harm than good. Police brutality, bigotry, homophobic acts of “disownership”, acts of sexual assault on women; these are things that cannot be solved within a good night’s sleep, but with care, attention, and time, we can become better. To summarize, humans are worth it, when “it” is needed.

Dominic Zow Are humans worth it? Humans are not worth it; most of the time humans get sick, die, or just become really mean. It's awesome that people get to live, but it's not good how some people use their lives to make it worse for others. Wars happen because a leader or group of people don't like another group of people because of the way they look, their race, their religion and so many more things that make no sense to hate someone for. Even if you are a nice person that doesn't guarantee you aren't making other people mad or other people don't like you. With different countries, if the leaders don't like each other they will start a whole war just for most of their soldiers to die in battle and the citizens of the country die from bombings, like all of Liesel family members, friends and neighbors in The Book Thief. Humans are not worth it because things like this unfortunately happen at least every five years around the world. Even if events like this stopped that doesn't mean the thoughts of them stop.   What makes us worth survival? Even though a lot of bad things happen in life that doesn't mean you should not live - if anything you survived for some reason in the future. Unfortunately, even in the future there will still be wars, suffering and dying because of hate. I don't think it will change; it might get even worse. But I guess that's how things have to be.   What makes us not worth it? If everything and everyone you love is dead and gone but you are the only one who survived, why would you want to live in pain for the rest of your life?

Hannah Hormigo Life is a Gift, Please Stay Here (a song) We are the light that gives the earth a brighter taste We get turned off, but we turn on We are bullets that shoot problems out of the way We get pushed down but we get up Look at our eyes, it's a design, so we can escape the whole world. Thank our ears, they make us hear, all of the lives around the sphere Humanity is worth it dear, life is a gift , Please stay here We get pushed down, but we get up Life is a gift, please stay here. We are the stars that can stay out morning and night We get covered but then we show We are engines that makes stuff steady and things go We get broken but we get fixed.

Let's use our minds, don't let them lie, they control our power Let's use our mouths, they make us heard, to keep people stay alive Humanity is worth it, dear - life is a gift, please stay here life is a gift, please stay here

His words are leaving so many scars on her skin. His thoughts are cutting her deeper than a machine. Never give up, life can get tough Life is a gift, please stay here Humanity is worth it dear Life is a gift, please stay here.

What makes us worth survival? We are all gifted with a life, it's our decision to use it at will. Some of us choose to appreciate life and do what makes us happy but only if we work hard for it. Some of us hate life and find joy by making other people suffer. Some of us have an unfair life and feel darkness. But we are all worth it at first; it's just how you decide to live your life. If you decide to make others' lives miserable you should start thinking about how everyone deserves to have a good life. If you decide to live it happily and free you are making the right choice. We are never “unworthy” because you got an opportunity to have a life, but since you are worth it don't take advantage and abuse the world. We never know what happens when we die so it's best to appreciate life.

Zoe Moncrieff Humans are worth it. Though we are a rather contradictory race, we can make up for that by showing we’re good, with a bit of bad on the side. While there are moments of ours where we aren’t our best, we make up for it by showing we are worth it and can be better if we try harder. There will always be times where we act up, screw things up, or make problems, but with those problems, there are solutions to them. We will always be problematic and bad, but there is also a fix to them and maybe even a solution to not having to be that. Death throughout the Book Thief questions if we are worth it just based on what he sees when people die, or there are attacks. He doesn’t see when we’re happy, or kind, or other good feelings and experiences that we aren’t always terrible or bad. Death also probably believes that we aren’t worth it because he was in a time of the Hitler reign, and there was never a good moment of that time period. Death was collecting bodies and souls when there were killings every day of thousands or hundreds. Death didn’t get to see the good moments of humans, and that’s why they leaned towards the belief that humans weren’t worth it. Humans, a lot of the time, aren’t worth it. At the start of the Book Thief, Death says “It is one of the small legions I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt- an immense leap of an attempt to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.”. This is Death saying to us as readers that he doesn’t think

we’re worth it, that we aren’t good and shouldn’t be allowed to be here. Death is basically implying we aren’t worth it, and don’t deserve our time on Earth, and should just haven’t existed. Death believes we as a race are bad and aren’t worth saving or bringing into the afterlife peacefully. Humans another part of the time are worth it. At the end of the Book Thief Death says, “I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what I could tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever just simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her about how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant. None of those things, however, came out of my mouth. All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say now to you. I am haunted by humans.” This paragraph explains a lot of Death’s mindset evolution to humans, and while some lines are a bit iffy on why they are worth it, the paragraph is saying that some people like Liesel are worth it, and we can learn from them. We can change for the better if we put effort and time into it. We can change how we act and not be the worse view of the human race, but the better view. Some humans that prove we are worth it are speakers, like Malala, and thinkers like Aristotle and Kierkegaard. We have all these thinkers, and creators, and speakers all around the world that prove that we are capable of being better, we just have to put effort into it and try. It’s not something we can do in a day, we have to listen to people’s ideas on how to be better. Also, actors and actresses who use their fame for better, like Emma Watson. Those people prove you can be famous or a nobody, and still do good. Humans are worth it. We have ups and downs, but we aren’t perfect so it’s normal. We are always going to have a good and bad side, but we can suppress one and focus on the other. We are always going to be imperfect, and we are always going to be a contradicting, sadistic, and problematic race, but we’re also kind, inspiring, and leading. We can be good - we just need to see it differently.

Are Humans Worth It? Richie Warren-Fulcher This isn’t one of those questions that have a quick and easy answer. There may not be an answer at all. The best way for me to find out if there is an answer is to discuss why humans are worth it and why they may not be. Since you and I are both humans, our impulse is to say we are worth it. Except humans don’t help anything in the universe other than some people of their own kind. Humans pollute and overheat the world but we call ourselves geniuses. People who compost aren’t helping the Earth, they’re trying to undo what the rest of the human race has done. I will admit humanity has created creative ways to destroy everything as quickly as possible, and completely ignore it whenever someone in the human population realizes what’s happening to Earth. Humans don’t just fight the world they fight amongst themselves.

They create bombs that kill 100,000 people in a fraction of a second. You might better understand if I wrote a “1” for every person who dies from these bombs. 100,000 is a number humans created to disguise how much 100,000 really is. It’s a way of using six numbers to symbolize 100,000. Humans use tactics such as this to disguise their failure. Now, World War 2 was one of the worst times in human history so it wouldn’t be fair to judge whether humans are worth it only based upon that. There have been many times in human history where humans have accomplished great things such as sending a man to the moon. When humans accomplish things such as successfully sending a man to the moon, I believe they are worth it. You now might be wondering which side of the argument I agree with. The truth is I think both arguments could be true. I am not proposing that we all start killing people who “aren’t worth it” but we should help those people “who aren’t worth it” become worth it. After all, it’s an individual's own decision whether or not they think they’re “worth it”, for no one else knows you well enough to determine such things. For example, we cannot determine whether the Fuhrer thought he was worth it, but we know that his existence on the planet severely hurt human-kind. When I was listening to Shayne Koyczan’s spoken word poem, “To This Day,” there was line that stuck out to me: “If you can’t see anything good about yourself, get a better mirror. Look a little closer. Stare a little longer. Because there’s something inside you that made you keep trying even though everyone else told you to quit.” This line in the poem, conveys that no matter who you are, there is something beautiful about yourself that makes you not quit and know you - we - are worth it.

Nepemba Katembo “Yes, often, I am reminded of her, and in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt – an immense leap of an attempt – to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.” - Death, The Book Thief. Humans are always causing destruction to each other and the world. The Book Thief does a great job of showing how horrible humans can be. “They say that war is death’s best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly: “Get it done, get it done.” So, you work harder. You get the job done. The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more.” - Death, page 309. We cause so much death, so much pain. How could we be worth it if we destroy everything? We even destroy our own Earth. Why should we be here if all we do is cause destruction and sadness? We don’t just hurt ourselves, we hurt other species too. We even make games, movies, and shows just about hurting each other.

On the other hand, we do heal and help others. Some of us are working to help save the Earth. We have jobs like doctors that are designed just to help others! We are working so hard to stop things like cancer or Covid-19 to save lives! We have people working hard to prevent more wars from starting! One example of humans being worth it from The Book Thief was when Rudy set the teddy bear on the dying man. “Carefully, be climbed to the dying man. He placed the smiling teddy bear cautiously onto the pilot’s shoulder. The tip of its ear touched his throat. The dying man breathed it in. He spoke. In English, he said, “Thank You.”” page 490-491. This shows that some humans do care about others. In the end we are all the same, and a lot of people are capable of caring about others. I think that humans are worth it. We are all capable of changing. We can work on our flaws, and try to become less violent. It was hard for me to decide if we are worth it or not, but I think we are here for a reason. We did last this long, after all.

Leo Keeler In class, we read The Book Thief, and we were asked a question: are humans worth it? I think this is a very interesting question, and I’ve thought about this quite a lot myself. This year, especially, we have seen and heard about the best of humanity and we have also witnessed the worst of humanity. Every day, you see and hear in the news about people doing things that save people’s lives or even just make someone’s day a little better, like working in the ICU during a global pandemic or just helping a mother carry a stroller up the subway steps. You also see people doing things that impact one or many people in a negative way, like breaking the windows of a government building and then beating a policeman who tries to stop you to death with a fire extinguisher, or mugging someone on the street for maybe $30. One could make the argument that humans are worth it, because nothing or nobody deserves to die. Humans are capable of fixing what they’ve done to the world, and they might even be able to stop hating each other if

they really tried. Humans haven’t been on this planet for too long, and maybe, just maybe, even if climate change and wars and genocides spiral out of control, the survivors could be smart and figure out a way to fix it. The better humans in the world are also doing things that are really nice like I mentioned above. These are the people that keep humanity from dropping off a cliff. They are the ones that keep normal people sane, they are the ones that pick up the rest of the world’s slack, and they are also the ones who get the least spotlighting. How often is it that you turn on CNN or Fox News and you see a report about somebody who has done so many nice things, or even just one nice thing? Now compare that to the number of times that you turn on these major national news channels and see something about a government or person who has committed genocide or is doing something that the reporter and the writers look negatively upon. I would say that the major news channels report about bad things maybe 5 times more often than they report good things, even though they happen at pretty much the same rate. On the other hand, the reason that the news reports about bad things more is because the bad things are generally more severe than the good things are kind. You regularly hear about hundreds of people that are killed in an airstrike or something, just because a country wants more land. They will kill civilians just so their rulers will submit to the aggressor’s demands. In The Book Thief, you see Hitler putting out the order to kill over 6 million people. If you just read the names of all the people that were killed, one second per name, 24 hours a day, it would take more than 2 months of continuous reading. The fact that thousands of soldiers were given the order to literally commit genocide and did it without question just shows how twisted the mindset of humans is. Humans are so greedy that in the future, they could eliminate what to the best of our knowledge is the only life in the entire universe. One species could do that in a few thousand years just because they want to be lazy. If you think about it, humans are a naturally lazy species. All of this work and technological advancements are mostly so that humans can do less. Humans have become so lazy that if they put their couch in the right place, they could never leave it and do everything a normal human would. Humans really aren’t worth the trouble that the Earth has to go through in order to support them. If humans never existed, there might be thousands of extinct plants and animals that are still here, and millions more of the things that are about to go extinct. Humans have messed up themselves, the world, and if they don’t stop soon, they might even mess up the universe. If there are other life or civilizations out there, and humans discover them, it will be bad news for either us or the aliens, depending on what the aliens are like.

Julian Glasgow Humans have been here for a very long time and I feel like if we weren’t worth it, we’d already be gone. Throughout history, humans have done many terrible things to the environment and each other. If we look at the past, there have been many terrible things. We can look at all of the wars we have fought in, slavery, people in power who have made highly questionable decisions and people who simply hate others due to a pre-concieved notion. If you look at our past, you’d think humans were terrible and some were. You could look at the past couple of years and decide humans aren’t worth it. Though through this bad, there have been moments of greatness. We have grown as a society to become as well-functioning as possible. We have done many great things, though all of the great things that have happened have either stemmed from something terrible or are considered great because of its past reputation. Slavery was terrible and we have come a long way from it, though racism still

exists. We as humans would think we made great progress and we have, though if we started back then with racism as it is now and grew from there, our country and world would be so much better. The reason we think certain things have been solved is because it’s gotten better; though sometimes people fail to realize how bad it was before and because it was so bad before, we think now because it is less severe it’s not a thing. I ask myself, are humans worth it? I really don’t know, we have constantly been tearing each other down for power and money rather than living peacefully. War is terrible, though it’s necessary. It has been something needed ever since the first war. People may not think they do, but most people have an unconscious voice telling them to think for themselves. They think in order to be happy everyone else has to be sad. Ever since we first started fighting, countries have become allies to others and some countries created rivalries. These types of grudges held against other countries are hardly ever solved without another country getting involved. There has been a domino effect that has really no chance of ever stopping until everyone is dead. I see it as if you completely wipe out the source of your problems and you won’t have to worry. Though there will always be a competition and a greediness in people that will force the issues we have today to continue. There are opportunities lost when people are fearful or unsure. We see in the book, Liesel wanted to kiss Rudy though she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Then, when Rudy died she had felt so much regret that she hadn’t just kissed him. I feel like our world may be falling into this. We fight and kill each other, we lie, cheat and steal, but at the end of the day we’ll realize what great mistakes we’ve made that could have saved so many lives. Death is a part of life, everyone's going to die at one point or another so why spend all of your time fighting something that is morally incorrect because you don’t want to be wrong? People are so caught up on being famous and popular that they forget about people who have helped them and what they could’ve done for those people. Regret is one of the worst things you could live with. Liesel would have to live with regret for the rest of her life because for some reason she didn’t do something she knew she probably should’ve. If you die with some uncertainty, was everything you did throughout your lifetime really worth it? We as humans are very single minded. We love whatever benefits us and the people specifically in our community. This is how all of the hostility builds up between the two parties during an election or a debate. Humans think that by ignoring one perspective of any given story that it doesn’t exist. We think if we block something or someone out that they have an invalid or untrue point of view. I completely understand why we do this. As I said, humans love being correct whether it refers to a question in math class or having an opinion that powerful politicians share with you. People are so scared to be wrong, they don’t even give another person or opinion a thought. This is what is controlling many nations in the world now. People in power who think the only correct thing is what they think and they control and persuade the people. Instead of everyone being independent thinkers they turn into people who follow the popular opinion. People in some countries are killed if they do anything to contradict the person in power. We see in the book, Hans couldn’t say what he thought, if he went against Hitler he would definitely be punished. People can’t possibly live their lives if their thoughts and actions are all controlled by a different person. The Earth gives perfect living conditions to humans. It’s not too hot or too cold, we have all of the necessities and more, yet people take this for granted. A reason I think humans are worth it is because we were put here in perfect conditions for life. Why would humans be the ones on this planet if we weren’t worth it? Humans have thrived on this planet for the longest time, we would be gone if we weren’t worth it. I can say something and I think everyone would agree, with everything happening maybe we really should question our existence. I’m a very curious person and I would like to figure out the science of human existence and so on. Though asking ourselves if we’re worth it is asking ourselves if we deserve to be here. If you say no then what do you really have to live for? I see and hear on the news of people taking their own lives and I really am empathetic to them and their families’ feelings, though everyone who is on this planet is here for a reason. Maybe you’re here to hold the

door for an old person or you’re here to cure cancer. No one knows their purpose until their purpose finds them. Another thing, you never really know if your life was successful. Throughout history humans have basically killed at least one of everything. Though for some reason we are still here. I think we’re here for a reason bigger than everyone knows today. For some reason humans have been against each other for a very long time, yet humans in some places thrive. We see that competition is a thing even when it comes to morals. There are people suffering, they don’t have houses or any family left and no one ends up helping them. We see this huge imbalance between people in some countries rather than others and wonder why it ended up like that. I will die saying humans are worth it and will always be worth it, though I’m not sure if I could tell you why.

Jack Keeler Are humans worth it? I have thought a lot about that question. That question is one of the hardest questions I have had to answer. Is the one thing you have known since you were born worth it. The very thing that you are, is that worth it. Many times, I have thought about the answer. I have come up with good and bad answers. But I also don't truly know if there is one right answer. There is so much that has happened in the world that made humans look good and made humans look bad. But the question today is if all I have known is all that I have been taught about humans and is it all worth it.

I don't know if they are worth it or not. There is so much that has happened in the world and just in the past year, there has been so much good that people have done. They have come up with so much they have made medical achievements and they have ended wars. Yet I still can't answer this question. When someone hears this question, they are going to think oh there going to be biased because they are human and you know they're probably right. Humans have done so much for the world that we love and use every day. They are the only thing that can do stuff. They are the only thing that the world has that invents stuff or destroys stuff. Even though we have done all this good we have done so much bad they have started 2 world wars they have robbed places they have killed millions of people - yet they still are good people. There are so many bad things going through my mind and there are so many more things i can write down but i didn't. The world has done so much to people and there have been a million bad things that have happened because of the what humans have done. Are humans worth it? This question has stayed in my mind for a long time and it was hard for me to answer it. I believe that the answer is humans are worth it. Not just because that's all I know it is the very development in the whole universe. Humans have come such a long way from where they used to be. Also, since the world started humans have done everything. But, sometimes, when humans do terrible things I don't think humans are worth it. But right now, while I am sitting at my desk writing this paper, I do think humans are worth it.

Hugo Duran Are humans worth it? Are all of our kind’s acts that we have done over the years equal to all of the terrible things we have done over the years? Is our way of living destroying the life of our fellow humans? Or is our way of living helping others in need? Is our way of living destroying the earth? Or healing it by getting rid of all the dangerous animals?

The straight answer is no, humans are not worth it. We have done so many terrible acts to those around us and to those that live on the other side of the world. Even though many people have done many great things for so many people, it cannot compare to the rest of the population, who, without even knowing it, are killing other humans, other animals, and the earth itself. We humans are constantly destroying each other. We humans love power and that drives us to destroy other humans to get that power. Humans will convince other humans that a group of people are terrible and deserve to die, just so that they can get more power and will also risk the lives of all the people that believe in them, so that they can conquer more territory so that they have more power. We also destroy animals and their habitats for our own selfish reasons. We set fires to clear land for unsustainable and unhealthy planting, we kill many animals for “medicines” that aren’t even scientifically proven, we fish, sometimes hundreds of thousands at a time, just to earn more money, we destroy forests which are essential for us to be able to breath, just to get more money, and we burn greenhouse gases that affect the rest of the world in drastic ways when we know other ways of getting energy, but it is more expensive to install. All of this is why we are not worth it, because we do not look ahead. Us humans only focus on what we need now, and not what we can do to be more successful in the future. All of the things we do for power and for money, at first, might look successful, but then leads to unfixable problems that lead to our demise. If we just do all of the things that might seem hard at first, we will get incredible benefits in the long run, like peace, renewable sources of food, a happy population, a sustainable and healthy environment, new and better ways of technology, and a better world overall. People do not think about this though, they just think about the present, and how they can make it better, and since we haven’t changed yet, we are not worth it. We humans have the ability to change, but we do not want to. Since we do not want to, we destroy the world and other humans for selfish and foolish reasons. If we continue this way, we will turn on each other, we will destroy all animals, and we will destroy the planet. We can still change though, we can still be something that the world can be proud of, but until we do that, we humans are not worth it.

Harper Conboy Human beings can be cruel, vicious and mean. We can be wonderful, kind and caring.

We can be so many different things. Each person acts differently, we have different personalities. All of us have a little kindness and a little cruelness somewhere inside of us. Some people can control their cruelty while others just let it out. Some people let their cruelty strangle and cut through others. While others protect them with kindness. Human beings controlled each other and manipulated each other. They killed each other and did horrible things. We cried and cried when we lost our loved ones. We cared about each other but still we killed! We helped each other when we needed it the most. We saved each other. We really do love each other, but we still hurt and kill. “I am constantly overestimating and underestimating human race”- Death Humans have done so many great things and have made great and amazing things happen. We have also distorted each other and turned on each other. How can we be so wonderful and yet so horrible and mean at the same time? “For at least twenty minutes the book thief handed out her story. The youngest kids were soothed by her voice.” -Death We helped each other when we were frightened and scared. Even if we were enemies and disliked either we all still came together when we were frightened. We created wars, bombs and guns. But why? Why did we need to use these things on each other? Why do we turn on each other and stab each other in the backs? How can we do these things but at the same time we care for each other and show love and kindness to each other. How!? The same question just keeps popping up. Are human beings really worth it? “During that week Max had cut out a collection of pages from Mein Kampf and painted over them in white.” Death Even when we have nothing we still find something to give. Even when we don’t think we have a way to give a gift to someone we work hard so that we can have something to lighten up other people’s days. We do these wonderful things but we still hurt and kill. People have two sides, a dark side and a light side. People can control which side they choose to use. Some people choose to use the light side more often and others choose to use the dark side. People can easily turn from light to dark or dark to light. People might turn on you when you least expect it. We killed each other and ruined each other. At the same time, we help each other and love each other. The same question just keeps popping up. Are human beings really worth it?

Human beings are worth it. Without us this world would feel empty. The world would be lonely. Even though we have done some really bad things, we are worth it. We did bad things because one or group of people manipulated us and convinced us that we needed to do these things. Eventually we realized that it was wrong and we fought back. Some things are still wrong in the world today but we will eventually figure things out and make things right. Human Beings are worth it

Derek Liberty Are human beings worth it? Maybe. Humans are special. There is good and bad. Poor and rich, mean and nice, good and bad, and most importantly monsters. There are many different types of monsters in this world. Monsters who will not show themselves and hide. Monsters who abduct children. Monsters seek friendship and trust even though they don’t know how to find love and hope. Monsters who sit and cower behind a screen or mask. Monsters who are mean for no reason. These people are people you have heard of. People who have made a name for themselves by being rude. There are Monsters who lie. Monsters who dehumanize. Monsters who crush dreams. Monsters that have no understanding of the human heart and brain. These people are people that have stepped foot on this earth. These people are the reasons human beings may not be worth it. Humans are special. There is good and bad. Poor and rich, mean and nice, good and bad, and most importantly kind human beings. There are humans that do good deeds to heal. There are humans that do good deeds for recognition and money. These are two completely different things. The humans that do good things for fun, are the reasons humans have hope. No human is perfect. Every human has made mistakes. Whether it is a big mistake or a small one. We all make them. Humans have power and others don’t. I wonder why. Could be because of race, religion, background, ethnicity, or disability. When people dehumanize others I can’t even think of such a deplorable act. It bothers me that people do such things. Human beings have been known to be bad people. In The Book Thief you find out how monsters treat humans. How Hitler treated Jews. This is what power, race, religion, and words humans could use and take advantage of in this world. Sure, there are good people. But has anyone ever been perfect and made no mistakes. No. They haven’t. In The Book Thief Hans Hubermann helps a Jewish person during “Hitlers Reign of Power.” This act was an incredible act of kindness. This act even though it was fictional is a perfect example of why humans might be worth it. Liesel is a reason why humans are worth it. She is not perfect but she has a heart.

This heart is not filled with evil. It is filled with kindness and love. People that give and not take. These are the people society wants. In conclusion, people have hearts. Real hearts. It is rare to find monsters. But it is not rare to find a friend, or a kind human being. We need to stay strong. Love and give. Unite as one. After careful consideration after reading The Book Thief and analyzing the question “Are humans worth it”. Human beings are worth it.

Caden Kim “I have kept her story to retell. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Each one an attempt – an immense leap of an attempt – to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it...I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I even simply estimate it. I wanted to ask how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” -The Book Thief Are humans worth it? This question is explored in The Book Thief through the perspective of Death. Death attempts to answer this question and uses Liesel’s story to argue that they are and are not worth it, but cannot understand how the same thing, humans, can be so conflicting. We are capable of both evil and good, and while we have done much wrong, I believe that humans are worth it. In the final line of The Book Thief the narrator, Death, says “I am haunted by humans.” I believe that he says this because he cannot understand how humans’ actions are as contradictory as they are. Through his work, Death witnesses the conflicting actions and emotions of humans. He sees their evil and their good, their sorrow and their happiness, and their anger and their joy as he collects the souls of the dead, and he often sees the worst and best of humans. Death observes the evil of humans through Nazi Germany, but also has Liesel’s story which proves to him that humans may be worth it. Once knowing what Death experiences, the reader realizes that this is why he feels “haunted by humans,” and cannot understand how humans can be so contradictory as a species and as individuals. I am also in agreement with Death that humans are both capable of evil and good. Depending on circumstances, a person can become either. In The Book Thief many ordinary German citizens tolerated, and even supported Nazism. At the same time, many individuals risked their lives to save the oppressed. Hans risked himself and his family by sheltering Max. This demonstrates that the human species contains both evil and good people. But even one individual can be capable of this same conflict between evil and good. A person who originally carries good intentions, after gaining power, may abuse that power and harm others. This shows that no person can be entirely and completely good or evil. Despite the evil that humans have committed, I believe that humans are worth it. We have the potential and ability to create more good than evil. When we do commit a wrong, we are capable of repairing it. Although humans have committed great crimes such as genocide, slavery, and war, they are also able to address these evil actions through accountability, justice, and reconciliation.

Humans have caused much wrong, but they have also created and achieved many good things. Throughout history, we have seen that no person can be absolutely good or bad. Depending on their environment or the actions of others, humans can end up committing evil actions or good deeds. Ultimately, I believe that humans are worth it because we can do more good than evil and address our evil with justice and reconciliation.

Ben Selz Are Humans Worth It? To me humans are not worth it yet. They mess up the world and drive it to the end. Most don’t care because they won’t be alive to see it. They are too afraid to even admit it. It is sad to say it. People don’t realize because they are too busy fooling around. People have not done anything to help the world. They just mess it up. If people respected the world it would be a peaceful place. Animals would roam free minding their own business. There would not even be a fraction of the pollution in the world if they respected it. There could have been as many trees as there are grains of sand. The world would be a safe place where nothing gets killed for fun or for money. You could almost see more green than blue on Earth in space. If a human saw Earth with no people they would think that they are in Heaven. Even though I have the ability to imagine things I still can’t think of how beautiful the world would look. Even though humans may not be respectful to Earth I would not erase them - I would reteach them.

Assefash Spearman The question “are humans worth it” is a difficult question for me to answer. Different people have different answers based on their experiences, religion, and a number of other things. In my opinion, I think that humans are worth it. How would the Earth be without humans? What would the food chain look like? Now, I know that there are some things that humans have done that are terrible and some that are good things. Humans have created so many things that it is hard for me to think about how Earth would be without us! One of the things that I like about humans is that they created music. Obviously music is very important to me, I could go on and on about it but no one finds that interesting except for my parents so I won’t do that. There's music that talks about positive things, music that talks about negative things, there's a lot. Music is very healing for me, if I’m feeling bad or if I’m just bored I’ll put in my headphones and listen to music (that humans created). Music also can help you learn more about someone, the kind of music you listen to leads people to assume a lot about you. I also enjoy making my own music when I’m bored, or if I get a sudden strike of inspiration. There’s many producers that I like, Bizarrap, Ocean, Simon Servida, Hillie Hill, and I often get inspiration from

them. Music must also have a similar impact on some other people as it does on me, so I would definitely say that music is something good that humanity has created.

What I want to do in my own life is do something to improve the world and help people somehow, and I can die when I’m done. I don’t want to die, but it’s just the way life is. I also don’t know why humans die, but it must be pretty miserable to be getting older and having back pain for example, and it constantly gets worse. At some point you would want it to end. Maybe that's why humans die or it may be something else. Why humans are born, I have no idea. But then, why are other animals here too? Because it's not just us, and what would happen if there was no life at all? There would just be planets just existing. I’m not sure if there's life on other planets but what if life just didn’t exist? I think that we are here for a reason, which leads me to think that we ARE worth it. Humans are beautiful, and I believe that we should try to get better every day. That we should strive to be greater and greater each and every day. Obviously we are very lucky that Earth has the perfect conditions for us - too hot or too cold and we wouldn’t be here. The good outweighs the bad. Obviously there's good and evil in humanity, but I can’t imagine Earth without humans and their positive impact. What would Earth look like? How would animals be? Would there be more animals?

Asher Nicoletto Are humans worth it? It can depend on the context or what the exact question is. In this essay, I will be answering the question. You will get my ideas on this question by the end of this essay and I hope you agree. What makes humans worth survival? Well, what makes us worth survival is the opportunities and the excitement. Life is one of the biggest opportunities you can get. There is about a 1 in 400 trillion chance that you are on this Earth today. That is part of what makes us worth survival. You get that very small chance to be alive right now and you don’t want to waste it. Because of this very small chance, you want to do what you can. You want to live a long, happy, and exciting life. That leads me into my next reason we are worth living and survival. You want to chase your dreams, be happy, and live a long life. You get this gift to live, you don’t want to waste it. If you are surviving in the first place, mind as well make it good. We are worth survival because of the opportunity to live and the ability to be happy and live a great, successful, and fulfilling life. Now what makes humans not worth survival? There are some people that want to take their own gift of life away and there are others who want to get rid of other people’s gifts. Sometimes it’s for someone else's beliefs, sometimes people believe they deserve it, and some just do it. People like that are why we

might not be worth survival. A lot of people in this world can struggle to find hope and peace and an ability to have fun. Because those bad people who choose to hate others and take away their lives are why people are sad and don’t see any hope in the world. So this is my final answer. I believe humans are worth it. You only get one shot and we should be able to live our lives and have fun. We should be able to achieve our dreams. We’re very lucky to be on this Earth. We have a very small chance to live our lives. So all humans should have fun and live their lives. Humans are worth it.

Achilles Bedouet Are humans worth it? You can look at this in different ways. There are good reasons for both opinions. This also depends on who you ask. Do animals like humans? Does earth like humans? Humans can do a lot of good and a lot of bad. Since we are humans you would think we think that we are worth it and that humans are helpful to the world, right?

Humans are helpful because many people give back and help other people. People also try to write books. Act in movies. Create videos on social media trying to inspire people to help clean up the Earth and to help people in need. Humans can also be very kind and helpful. Without humans many things wouldn’t have been created and many things wouldn’t have been possible but that is what humans think. Does this help animals? Does this help the environment? We will never know what animals think about us until they are no longer a species. We think that all these new buildings are great and we think that these new cars are great, but are they?

Many times, humans can surprise you. Sometimes when someone does something nice you might be in shock. An example of humans giving back and being helpful is when somebody on social media organized a foundation to plant 20,000,000 trees. Things like this help the world. People like this make humans worth it. People like this are a positive to other people and the environment. Humans can be kind, peaceful people that live their life not bothering anyone or doing anything terrible, but how many people really do that? Many people do bad things without even realizing it. Without other people humans wouldn’t be able to survive but is that really because of what the people do? A good example of humans being helpful is at the end of the book thief when Liesel was very nice and felt very sad that everyone she loved died. This is humans being worth it because it is a person that realizes how much these people helped her and is showing us she knows that by the way she reacts to the dying. She realizes they made her the person she is today and she is thanking them in a very kind and loving way. But who caused these people to die? Humans did. Humans are not helpful because they are very destructive. We don’t seem to care about anything else besides us. We think that making these electric cars are great and that we are fixing the environment, which is true, but we are the ones that caused this problem in the first place. We have pretty much taken control of the world and we are only doing what we want to do. We even sometimes don’t even care what other humans think. We sometimes care so little that we kill them. Humans have built things all across the world destroying the habitats of many animals. We are causing climate change. We are causing people to lose their homes because the sea levels are rising. But some people still think that this is a lie because they don’t care about other people. They think that they are the best and they look down on other people. Humans cause many problems. They seem to love destruction and violence. Humans have gotten out of their way to harm each other. Humans are probably the most childish creatures on earth. They are the smartest but also the dumbest because we use how smart we are in very stupid ways. Humans have caused many animals to be in danger because they have killed so many. We destroy the habitats of many animals just because we need the oil from trees to make some snack bars or because we want to make the next best building. Some people have understood it, but some still don’t. We have polluted so much and made our air much worse than before and we have also killed many animals just because we feel the need to destroy their homes and take everything WE want? Imagine if a new animal species came into the world and destroyed all of our houses, took all of our food and left our parks with nothing. The human race would be in panic. We would hate the species and we would probably by trying everything for them to go extinct. Many people we know would die or people would have to move to places they never thought they would move to. Well that's probably how animals feel after we destroy their habitat but they can’t do anything because we have all these machines and weapons and we outnumber them by so much.

Without humans the world would look very different. Would it look better or worse? I don’t know. Would the world just be full of trees and forests? Would there be many different types of animals? Would the world be full of animals? Would everything living be happier? I think that at some point humans will go extinct, but will it be too late for everything to recover? I don’t know. I think that humans are not worth it because we have destroyed too much and changed many things for the worse.

Stella Gerstenblatt Humans make mistakes. It’s a part of life and normally we fix our mistakes, but sometimes it’s just too much. We start wars and we kill people who are only trying to help fight for their country. We get angry and we do things that are so bad, kids shouldn’t know about it. We use violence and hate instead of trying to work things out differently. Humans aren’t worth it. Even though humans have done some amazing things, like make vaccines for deadly illnesses, we still do horrifying things. We made a vaccine for a virus that was killing millions of people, but who’s fault was it that those millions of people got killed? Who elected the person who led the idea that Covid was fake? Who elected the person who called Covid “China virus” and “Kong flu?” Humans did.

World War two killed about seventy five million people. World War one killed about twenty million people. Over three million people died in the Vietnam War. It seems that the longest period of peace for the US is fifty three years. The US has been a country for around two hundred forty six, which means that the U.S. has been at war for one hundred ninety three years total. Some people might argue that I’m basing the human race off of something that happened in the past, or something that they weren’t involved with, but it’s still our job to stop something big. Everyone had to know that there were going to be major protests after Goerge Floyd. We knew that there were police officers who abuse their power and we knew that one day this would happen. So why didn’t we stop it? Most kids want to be something when they grow up, whether it is an artist, a singer, an actor, a fireman, or a police officer. Kids wanting to be a police officer set off an alarm as I realized this: a good amount of police officers are racists, they target people of color and make biased decisions. We see this happen with George Floyd and so many other people. Grownups have to make sure that kids are looking up to the right kind of police officers, otherwise they might not see what kind of police officer is okay and what’s not. (A lot of kids who say they want to be a police officer don’t wind up becoming one, but I’m talking about the kids who will become one of them.) “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but has not solved one yet.” -Maya Angelou. I think that she would understand what I am saying, anger, hate, and violence don’t solve our problems, it just makes humankind look bad. If you think about it, violence has only ever been successful at first, but over time something happens and this person's plan goes up in flames. Hitler’s plan was successful at first, he got into a position of power, putting Jews and other people into concentration camps and killing them. In the end, Germany lost the war and Hitler killed himself - doesn’t sound like a win to me. The definition of “hate crime” is “a crime, typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds.” The fact that we have words like “hate crime” and “violence” has shown that humans have failed. We have words that define awful things, like “hate” and “brutality” that have shown what humans have done. The human race has done so much harm, there’s even a pyramid of hate. “Genocide” is a pretty new word. I believe it was created after World War 2. Hitler, a human being, did something so bad, so unforgivable, so un-human like, someone came up with a new word for what he did. “The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people.”-Napoleon Bonaparte. Maybe if we had more people in the world who stood up for what was right and stood up to the people who were wrong, we would have a better world. I’m normally an optimistic person, but reflecting and researching all of the horrible things that have happened, I don’t think I can be optimistic about humans. Even if we do some good things, it’s nowhere near as much as how many bad things have happened. Humans aren’t worth it.

Sebastian Pitts Humans are worth it no matter how many horrible things they do. Humans can create beautiful things, like other human beings. Humans have emotions about everything and with these emotions we either express or absorb them. When humans bottle all of these emotions we can do horrible things to other

people or to ourselves. In the book thief Death talks about how he doesn’t understand humans killing other humans. I agree with Death because why should we create more humans if they're just going to be killed by their own kind just because of the way they look, talk, act, or just because someone’s angry? I wonder what living things do once they die. Do they go live a completely new life in a new body or do they turn into a different animal? I wonder if when we die we go to a whole new universe and live as aliens. Do we just not live again? I am scared to die now that I've listed all these wonders. I don’t want to leave my life because I love the people who are in my life and I’m happy with this life. Maybe this only started and after this world we’re all put in a world where everyone is happy and comfortable. Humans should be given the chance to be put into a world of happiness. When humans kill other humans they also hurt the people in that human's life. Someone has to have some serious problems if they have to kill a human being. The humans that are murdered don’t want to leave yet, they want to live their life with their family and friends. Just because someone isn’t happy with their life doesn’t give them the right to take someone away from their life that they love. When people take their own lifves I feel so bad for them because they must have had a hard enough life that they had to take it away from themselves. I knew a few people that have killed themselves and it made me cry when I heard about it because I thought of all the times I saw him happy. He was my camp counselor and he would always look so joyful and happy when we went sailing. This made me think about the times I saw him happy and laughing. I thought those were all fake emotions or was he really happy? Emotions can change very fast all because of one thing like getting fired or getting hired. This supports my idea because people want to create humans and help them be happy. People of color are killed by humans all the time just because of the way they look. It's not right for people of color to be murdered because some people look at them as less or nonhuman. People of color have been tormented and killed for hundreds of years. Don’t you think enough is enough? Why do people have to take someone away from their family, away from their friends, away from this world just because they have more melanin in their skin? Humans discriminate against other humans because they do not like them and they don’t like that. People like Hitler think being blond haired and blue eyes is the only way to look. If you're anything other than blond hair and blue eyed you are less to him. Why should this be the only way to live? Us humans are not created to look the exact same with the exact hair and eyes. Why should millions of people be killed just because of one person? Maybe Hitler didn’t know that it was okay to look another way. I’m sure Hitler had to do one good deed in his life. I’m not saying this makes up for what he did. All I'm saying is that this world took a chance on Hitler and he failed it. Humans create other humans in the hope they will be a good person. Sometimes Humans can also do amazing things. I think creating more humans is a beautiful thing. Not all humans do bad things for this world. Most humans do good deeds instead of bad. I don't believe in death row because when executing someone it's just making the problem of humans worse. If humans weren’t worth it I wouldn’t be made. If I wasn’t made I wouldn’t have met all my friends, I wouldn’t have my wonderful loving parents, I wouldn’t have my amazing and funny brothers, I wouldn’t know what love is, and most of all know if humans are worth it.

Sophie Komiss

Humans are not perfect. They are flawed. This makes it hard to say whether humans are worth it or not. We all make mistakes, and we all do good. Another factor is that I am human, the person writing this. This question is asking me if I am worth it, if I as a person is deserving. On one side, we do good things in our daily lives, like holding a door open, paying for someone's coffee, driving someone to their destination, or just saying "good morning." We give immense contributions too. We donate money and resources, we throw parties for people, we buy houses and cars for them, we make home-cooked meals for Thanksgiving, help the less fortunate, and so much more. On the other hand, we say snarky things, call people rude names, take something, disrespect our family and friends, brag, and not look up from our phones when someone is talking to us. We are also capable of killing people, starting wars, ignoring people in pain, and hurting ourselves. This proves that humans can be wonderful, but they can also be horrible. It's a spectrum, we can do great good, but we can also do significant damage. Things that happened in "The Book Thief" were big and small, good and bad. Rudy and Liesel stole apples; they shared them with everyone, though. Liesel didn't like her neighbor who spat on their door, but she read to her to help her stay calm with the air raids. Rudy painted himself dark to show his appreciation for Jesse Owens, which made people laugh at him; he showed up and won his races to show that he was more than a fast runner impersonator; he was one himself. Rosa called Liesel names all the time; she loved her and opened up later on, though. Hans left Liesel and Rosa for the war, but he did it because he was trying to help out a dying man, and these were his consequences. Things happen all the time in real life and this book. These examples show how humans aren't perfect; they're human. They made mistakes and we have made mistakes. This book offers real life. It shows a loss, gain, happiness, sadness, war, family, and love.

Are humans worth it? Humans have flaws, they make mistakes and challenge themselves. This makes it hard to say whether humans are worth it or not since we can do great and we can also do horribly. This question is one you can't prove with data or ask some brilliant schooler to answer for you. You have to decide this yourself. Personally, humans are worth it. We make mistakes and do bad things, but this doesn't mean that you should give up on us. Some people are not worth it, but humans in general are. You cannot base life on some bad people, but if you look at humans in general, we are good.

Sasha Turok Are Humans Worth It? Are humans worth it? Oh, what a marvelous question, But who does know? Only the world that could answer, As the humans come and go. It’s the world that can see the peoples’ sorrow, And the same world that can see the happiness in their tomorrow. But is the world the only one that can tell, What is worth it and what isn’t in its shell. There is another that is not often pleasant to be spoken of, Death, I think he ought to be called. He’s the one who should answer the question, He’s the one who sees the looks on faces when it happens, appalled. But are those two the only two that know? What happens inside, outside, above, and below. No, it's the humans that do know best, If they are worth it, every day being put up to the test. I am a human and this is what I’ll say, Humans can be worth it in our own unique way. It depends on how you look at it, Are you seeing the negative or the positive bit? Humans do their job on the planet, Mainly following the rules. Some don’t and that’s that, But every single one, in their own way, shines like jewels. To wrap it up, There’s only one thing that can be told. You have to live life, For the truth to unfold.

Sammy Cohen Are Humans worth it? At times, Humans can be stupid. Humans can be Smart. Humans can be greedy, And we can have no thoughts. Humans can help others, Or try to cause them harm. They can do things that they regret, And things that they are proud of. They can do things for no reason, Or they can do things they thought out. Never underestimate humans, Even if you think that they will fail, Don’t overestimate them either We can be overconfident. They can forget what they believe in, Or always keep it close. As long as we do what is right, Humans are worth it. If you only think about the bad, And not about the good. You will always see humans, In a way that is misunderstood. If you see the good in humans, You can see them as worth it. At times, humans can be stupid, Humans can be smart, But as long as you see the good in us, Humans are worth it.

Examples in the book for what I said. What Hitler did was very stupid. That isn’t directly from the book but I wanted to say it. When Hans give bread to the Jew, that was very thoughtful, even if he wasn’t thinking when he did it, he did what is right. Hans brought Max in for a reason, Max left for a reason too. Rudy was overconfident when asking Liesel for a kiss. Hans was not proud of being alive because of his guilt, but he was very proud of Liesel. Examples from our lives

Covid has made us adapt to living in a very different way. If someone leaves their house or apartment and forgets to wear a mask, they probably weren’t really thinking. There are many people who believe that Covid isn’t a big deal, they are being stupid for thinking that, but doesn’t mean they are stupid in general.