Why Learn Math?

Why learn math?

Why is math important?
When am I going to use math in real life?
What does math have to do with anything?

As all math teachers know, we hear these questions on the daily. For one, we teach what we teach because the state and federal government tell us what we have to teach. So, there's that. But other than that, what are the real life answers to this question?
I wanted to post some excerpts from a forum that answered this question and get some responses from others.

Groovy:
Since football is big here, I use this analogy: You lift weights, don't you? (or, "Your brother lifts weights...") Why, because you want to be a weight lifter when you grow up? No! You lift weights to build muscles that you will use for other things: playing football, impressing your girlfriend... well, math is like building mental muscles that you will use for other things. You're building little neuron connections in your brain that you will need later, to learn things you really like. Weightlifting and math don't have to be fun, but they will take you where you want to go!"

Aliceacc:
Algebra, and much of math, is the study of problem solving. It teaches you to organize information and apply a step by step process to solve the problem you've been presented with.

robinsky:
Basically, learning math teaches a person how to think logically and abstractly. It trains your brain to notice details, to be logical, to make sure you have reasons for each step of your plans. These skills are critical for a person to be able to navigate our world, to be an informed citizen, to make decisions your whole life. I talked to them about people who get taken in by scams because they don't recognize when arguments don't make sense.

myangel52
Algebra is just solving for unknowns -- which we do all the time, but most people don't write it down. When we figure out how much money we need to pay bills -- algebra. When we need to figure out what the loan payments will be for that new car or the house -- algebra...What they learn in school is just the formalized way of writing it down to show someone else, and/or the abstract version of it. It all applies, though.

Doctor Achilles, The Math Forum The idea here is that if you learn math now, then when you're confronted with math later in life, you won't have to worry about it at all and instead you can just pay attention to what you want to.Jen Peck, Karen Rosser, and Carol Pifer, Math and Education students at the University of Richmond, have put together a series of Web pages called "What Good is Math?" talking about the connections between mathematics and art, calculating grades, cooking, shopping, sports, and travel:

Art and Math: How Are They Related?
How Did I Get a C in Spanish?
How Do I Get the Most For My Shopping Dollar?
Mathletics! or Is There Math in Sports?
So You're Planning a Party?
So You're Planning a Trip?
Will I Ever Be Able to Fill My Piggy Bank?

How can math be so universal? First, human beings didn't invent math concepts; we discovered them. Also, the language of math is numbers, not English or German or Russian[...]

Why is this question asked now more than ever? In older days, students didn't ask why they asked how. Not why do I have to learn this but how do I learn it?

Teachers: how do you answer this question? Even if you don't teach math, how do you convince your students that your class work is important and has purpose?