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            Comparing and contrasting help us discover subtle and/or hidden differences and similarities between two subjects. Comparisons also help us create analogies of seemingly unrelated subjects. For example, Mary Roach compares being dead to being on a cruise ship since in both instances, the individual is lying on his back in endless relaxation. Had it not been for this analogy, the similarity between death and being on a cruise would not have been noticed. Furthermore, we can learn about a subject that we are not familiar with by comparing it to something that is familiar to us.

            In “The Meaning of Life”, Roger Cohen compares two rhesus monkeys with different lifestyles. There is Canto, who is on a restricted diet, and Owen, who is allowed to eat whatever he pleases. Both monkeys are part of an experiment about the causes of aging conducted by a team from the University of Wisconsin. Cohen reports, “While just 13 percent of the dieting group has died in ways judged due to old age, 37 percent of the feasting monkeys are already dead” (291). As shown by the experiment, monkeys on a restricted diet lived longer than those who ate freely. Cohen and other scientists challenge this finding since it should not the quantity of life that matters, but the quality of life. Owen may die sooner than Canto, but unlike Canto, who is not really living at all, Owen will die happily, knowing that he has lived his life to the fullest. Cohen goes on to compare the demeanor of both Canto and Owen, “Canto looks drawn, weary, ashen, and miserable…Owen, by contrast, is a happy camper with a wry smile” (292). Just by looking at Canto, one can easily tell that he is not happy and would much rather be taken out of his misery. On the other hand, Owen has obtained the chief good in life, happiness.

            Cohen focuses more on differences between the two monkeys. Cohen goes into descriptive detail when mentioning the physical differences between the two monkeys. He also emphasizes the difference in quantity and quality of life between Canto and Owen.

            Cohen argues it does not matter how long you live to if you are miserable the whole time. The allure of life is the fragility of it; no one knows when his or her time is up and it is important to live everyday to the fullest (293).

            I agree with Cohen. It is important for people to find happiness in life, whether they obtain it from their job or the food they eat. It is especially upsetting to see people work at jobs that they absolutely loathe. Those jobs may be reliable sources of income, but if the person gets no satisfaction out of the job, does the money even matter? It may be a risk chasing after your dreams, but as Hershel Greene puts it, “You step outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life…The only thing you can choose is what you’re risking it for.” Life is all about taking chances and if you don’t take a chance, life will pass you by and before you know it, you will die and the real issue will be whether you lived at all.