What would you do?

by heathervescent

Hypothetical situations - everyone asks questions about what you would do if so and so happened. And here at daily mantra we are no different. We're asking the authors - and you - what you would do in this situation.

It's a cold winter day, there's ice and snow in the streets that have been causing accidents, power outages and a variety of emergencies across the city. Sirens are heard everywhere and you think to yourself "god" must be playing with his ant farm. As you continue to walk home, with some difficulty, you hear screams for help. You alter course and walk towards the screams and you see a building with smoke pouring from the roof, and fire coming from all of the windows. You make your way inside and see the building is falling apart. Being the brave soul you are, you rush towards the screaming and see a handicapped elderly man who's been screaming, and an infant laying on the floor by his walker. Both need you to help them out of the building, but it looks as if it will collapse at any minute. The man is crying and saying "I don't want to die", the infant, is laying there unaware of the chaos and danger in the surrounding environment.

So, what would you do?

daily mantra authors will answer the question tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Update: Read the responses: Constantine, L.J. Williamson and CDJ.

Update 2: What is my answer to the question? Well, before I read all the responses, I was all for the old guy, for some similar and yet different reasons. I like old people, I don't usually like babies. The knowledge and experience of old people is more valuable to me (and society) then the potential of a baby, although it would be much easier to carry the baby out. Then again, maybe the fire started because the old man was smoking and he was supposed to be watching his grandchild.

The thing we've all been taught to do is to help people. So yeah, we'd want to save the lives. But that is a conditioned response. It's not necessarily what's supposed to happen.

I was walking on a beach boardwalk in Monterey, CA many years ago. I saw a seagull with a broken wing caught in the surf, struggling to survive. My first response was to run down and save the bird, but my colleague stopped me. He told me, "Everything has to die sometime. It is not your responsibility to decide." I remember the image of the bird struggling in the surf and the wise words of my friend.

Hypothetically I have the chance to save one life from the burning house and so hypothetically I will save mine.

* photo by Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches

| 04/27/07 | Practices

I'm going for the ultra positive answer and assuming that my adrenalin will kick in just like it does in the common story of a mother having to save her child by lifting a car or truck. My "superhuman" juices kick in and I am able to help them both to safety in the nick of time.

Comments

This is a question on the false premise that all human life is of equal value. We all say it, we all believe, it but no one truly acts this way, do they? Would you rather give your last of your food money or your bag lunch to someone who is begging for food, or would you satisfy your own hunger? For some of you, you might give your food up, but what if you could save your dad's life or a strangers and we all know almost everyone would pick daddy. We each have a point where one life is worth more than an others.

While I'd obviously try to save both, because human life in it's entirety is very valuable, if situation dictated that only one could be saved, I'd save the old man. The man has a life worth saving because he's asking for it to be saved. He's experienced life, knows it's worth saving and is asking for it to be saved. The

The infant, while having the potential for a full life ahead is basically unaware of what it is worth and at the very least will get to face fear. It's last moment will be an understanding of what it's life was worth, even though it may be short and really, isn't that like me giving it a gift?

Comments

PUT THE BABY ON THE OLD MAN'S STOMACH (TELL HIM TO HOLD THE BABY AND SHUT UP) AND THEN DRAG THE OLD MAN AS BEST AS I COULD