VSL

The Value of a Statistical Life is an economic value
used to quantify the benefit of avoiding a fatality

or, in other words

how much you matter to the economy
and how much your labor might be missed
if we let you die prematurely.

It is often useful
to put a precise economic value on a given life

meaning

we will not lift a finger to save you
until our spreadsheets crunch the numbers
and prove you’re good for the bottom line.

Since resources are finite
trade-offs are inevitable

or, in layman’s terms

your life is worth $12.5 million
which, while impressive, is still nothing
when compared to the stock market.

Money talks, after all.
The dead don’t.