examined vs. unexamined lives

Life can either be made priceless by leading an examined life, or made to be worthless by living an unexamined life.

An examined life is one where one's actions are based upon ideas, morals and beliefs that have been solidified with one's own experiences or reasoning. These found ideas, morals and beliefs may or may not agree with the set standards of society. An examined life is one where positive change is initiated due to looking at one's life in retrospect - ultimately finding enlightenment, according to Socrates. In my opinion, life cannot ever be fully examined as a new positive change only generates a new "life" to examine and so on. Therefore I believe an examined life is a dynamic, forever changing life; may result in changes or further fossilization to one's morals. I also believe that a person's beliefs/life changes with time. This would mean that life could truly never fully be examined, meaning there is no end point to enlightenment because a conclusion can never be drawn from a constantly changing life - time would only bring more and more things to examine, more knowledge if you will.

An unexamined life holds everything a person living an enlightened/examined life would not want. Basically an unexamined life is governed by societies beliefs and normality - not solidified by the persons own knowledge or experiences. "Stuck in the box" is a good way to describe it. Many may even be afraid of looking at how they live their lives because it forces one to question the morals they've acquired, possibly even have to change them. One living an unexamined life, an unenlightened life only follows what has been set out for them, never questioning or testing it. This life as Socrates says becomes a "worthless" existence, as none of your morals are your own. It becomes just living, while an examined life would be living with purpose and meaning.

I feel that one should work towards living an examined life, though a fully enlightened life is unattainable. Doing so sounds redundant, but I believe living an enlightened life is about taking the time to ask questions and learn why you feel how you do. It is not about attaining a final knowledge. The beauty is that the journey is the positive change - a constantly changing life, as the path of examined life has no end. Getting to such a point, obviously takes time, but I see it as time well spent. I mean is your life not worth your time? - Worth making priceless?