The Devil Takes You Home

by Gabino Iglesias

How much is your life worth? I’ll tell you: the value of your life is less than the craving of a desperate junkie who breaks into your house to steal your shit and finds you there. Your life is worth less than a jealous husband with the wrong idea and a gun in his trembling hand. The value of your existence is much less than that of your life insurance in the eyes of a dejected spouse. If you’re Black or brown, the value of your life is less than the fragile masculinity of a cop who wants to feel superior or a racist who wants you out of the way so they’re not forced to face someone they don’t understand. El valor de tu vida es lo que vale el segundo en que alguien aprieta el gatillo, el segundo en que alguien pone toda su ira en su mano y te clava un cuchillo. Not enough? Think harder. The value of your life is zilch to most people. That’s why they sell you food that will kill you. That’s why they put poison in the water and don’t care if you get cancer. That’s why they allow you to rely on our shitty health system and allow insurance companies to deny you coverage based on a ridiculously long list of preexisting conditions, one of which is probably being alive. Your life is precious to you but disposable to others. That’s the rule of the game, the only one that matters.

This sums up life.