One worry about using the objective means of narrative values in judging the meaning of lives is that it is possible for some lives to not be meaningful. It is often believed that a life without meaning is a life entirely without value. May objects that meaning is only one type of value that can be expressed in life. He claims that the good and happy are other means of lives having some value. A life can be entirely void of meaning from narrative values, yet be a highly happy or moral life. May argues that it goes without saying that these lives still have value. They just don’t exhibit narrative values and thus lack the value of meaning.
The distinction of meaning as a separate type of value allows for lives to both be judged on meaning and their individual uniqueness. Even if a life is entirely meaningless, it can still be marked by its value in morality or happiness. It is important to note that those who exhibit high morality and happiness are very likely to also live meaningful lives by being engaged in some narrative value. It is in the rare cases that such lives are not meaningful that we turn our attention to find the ways in which their lives still have value.
It is also important to point out that lives who exhibit the same narrative value are not unique in their own respects. For example, both Zach and Dylan believe they exhibit the narrative values of steadfastness. Just because they both exhibit steadfastness does not mean that they exhibit it in the same ways. They both were able to see the narrative value characterize their lives in separate ways that are unique to their own lives. Beyond that, they believe they exhibit other narrative values, which are not in common with each other.
Once the issues of meaningfulness as a value and the role it has in individuality are addressed, it is apparent that both meaningful and meaningless lives can be valuable and unique in their own respects. Knowing this, the argument for narrative values as a source of meaning in life is strengthened by addressing common qualms of objectively judging the value of meaning in lives.