Is the Unexamined Life Worth Living?

Thousands of years ago, Socrates famously stated, "The unexamined life is not worth living".  He basically said, if we do not philosophize, our life is not worth living.  Because philosophy is examining why we do the things we do.  As a philosopher, Socrates naturally defies the unexamined life.  But what strikes me, is the extremity of his statement against people who do not philosophize:  "The unexamined life is not worth living".  He is saying that if you do not look at past actions, and reason through things, your life is worthless.

Maybe we need to look at what he meant.  What does it mean to live an unexamined life?  Well, we as humans are creatures of habit.  We grow accustomed to an action that fits our lifestyles and natural thought processes and it becomes routine.  We hold beliefs that they have been taught to us from childhood that have become second nature.  Why question it?  If what you do makes you happy and your beliefs cause no harm, why should you examine your choices?  

Well, some may argue that a happy life is not always a full life.  Even further, others may argue that even if people think they are happy, if they have not examined their life and their actions, they are ignorant to the flaws and faults that do exist in their lives.  

Also, we must think about society as a whole.  If we keep doing the same things we have always done and believe what we have always believed, society and human kind will go nowhere.  Is life worth living if we live just like the people before us did and the people before them did?  Do we not have an obligation to move forward and examine what should and can be fixed?

Personally, I can not imagine living a life unexamined.  For personal reasons, looking to the past is the only way that I can learn what not to do in the future.  As many have said "history repeats itself".

But, I would not go as far as saying "the unexamined life is not worth living".  Some people are happy living out routine and never questioning their beliefs.  That is their lives and I will not speak as to whether or not it is worthless.