Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Question

You have an acquaintance that you would certainly not classify as a friend, however you do interact with this person and you generally think well of him/her. You see each other infrequently, always by chance, and you normally exchange pleasantries.

This person is in danger. One way or another (specifics don’t matter) this person will be harmed; however it is guaranteed that this person will not die. They might end up with a sprain, a broken leg, or might even be permanently disabled and confined to a wheelchair for life.

You have the power to prevent this person from becoming harmed. However if you choose to intervene it will have consequences for you. If you decide to help so that this person is injured in no way it will mean that for the rest of you life it will rain. It will only rain where you are and will in no way affect the climate of the planet, but it will always rain where you are no matter what. You will never see the sun again if you choose to save this person. You are aware of the consequences of helping this person.

Do you help them and why?

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally depends if this person will merely have a broken leg (sorry, I won't help yah) or be confined, for a life, to a wheelchair (I'm there-absolutely).

Anonymous said...

i would help them. and then, i would hire myself out to drought sticken areas of the country.

Ed X said...

Nance - that is information that you don't know. They may end up with a strain or they may end up in a wheelchair for life. You don't which.

Frank - even if you did that the overall impact of the rain recieved in those areas would not be enough to help them even if you stayed for years.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, okay. Yes, I would dance in the rain. Probably, just move to Ireland...that would be nice. :-)

P.S. My ear is fine. A little tender, but fine.

Anonymous said...

hey, everyone, just a quick note. Friday is Don's birthday. He was supposed to get out and then they (dr.s I suppose) had a meeting last week and decided to keep him in for a while longer. He doesn't know how much longer - weeks or months - so it might be nice to send him something for his bday. Mary just talked to him about it- he sounds fine but of course anyone would need cheering up after hearing this. p

Anonymous said...

Ed- is it a torrential rain or a soft, gentle Washington State misty kind of rain? Also, what would the dew point be?

Too bad about Don. We'll call him and/or send him something. Maybe a good book...?

Tom

Anonymous said...

I get a little SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in the winter months. Not family...not a close friend...not a chance I'm going to help him or her. It's a tough world, get a crash helmet.

Kelli

PS. This attitude does not reflect my attitudes towards my work as a nurse.

Anonymous said...

They'd be a goner. Hopefully they aren't potentially the next Mother Teresa or something.

p

Anonymous said...

It's rain! What's wrong with a little rain...hello? What if this person was crippled for life 'cuz you didn't wanna walk around like you were in Ireland. People pay good money to visit Ireland.

P.S. Just in case you were worried...my ear is still a-ok.

Anonymous said...

I need the sunshine!!! Ed, is this a question from your new boss? It's a trick question, isn't your logo a green sun? It stands for selfish sunlight, those Brits!

Anonymous said...

NANCE, NOW YOU'LL HAVE TO GIVE PEOPLE SIDEWAYS GLANCES, OVER THE SHOULDER, ETC...OR WEAR MISMATCHED EARRINGS!

Anonymous said...

Don's phone# is different from the list...507-931-7049...it's free for him if we call!
He's probably due for the new clothes...maybe something knit, polo shirts, that don't wrinkle, etc...it will help when he meets with his counselor.

Anonymous said...

I mean new or slightly used :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm still interested in what the dew point is gonna be on this deal.

Medical question for anyone qualified to answer: How long does it take to heal from a broken collar bone? A complete break almost breaking the skin....?

Tom

Anonymous said...

Who has a broken collar bone? Ask Joe how long he had to wear the harness with woman things underneath to soak up his underarm sweat and keep his skin from chafing.

Anonymous said...

I watched Tony Blair's last "Prime Minister's Questions" from the House of Commons this morning. I wish USA had something comparable. It's a chance to really gauge the PM's smarts, humor, political savvy and grasp of government policy. You can just picture Thatcher, Churchill, etc. enjoying and standing up to the hurly-burly. Clinton would have been good. Lil Bush would have been abyssmal.

Anonymous said...

Don would be a size large...yes?

Anonymous said...

Our cook (1 of 2) who did not have a license due to a drunk driving dealey-o...rode his bicycle drunk and fell.

Anonymous said...

Ed- do we get a lifetime supply of umbrellas?

Tom

Anonymous said...

It seems to me that unless you created the dangerous situation that the person now finds himself/herself in, you have no obligation to intervene.

Anonymous said...

Tom -

The rain would be varying. It would sometimes be a horrible downpour and sometimes it would just be a drizzel. It would vary. You would not get free umbrellas but you could certainly buy your own.

Anonymous said...

What about the dew point? What will it be? Some people look closely at the humidity but I'm more of a dew point kind of guy.

Tom

Anonymous said...

The humidity factor would be killer on my hair.

Anonymous said...

Tom, does dew point have an effect on gourmet cooking?? Or are you worried about your glasses fogging up??

Anonymous said...

How about if you go to this person and strike a deal, taking a mortgage on his home. He shouldn't walk totally unscathed. Jerk. He prolly wouldn't do it for you.

Anonymous said...

An unfavorable dew point can wreak havoc on souffles and puff pastries.

Tom

Anonymous said...

Hey, does this person have long term disability coverage?

Tom

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry I ate all of your beautiful & pink Tiger Lillies and the hanging basket (again).

Anonymous said...

Can the person you save be obligated to hold an umbrella for you every time you go out..garden work, or out to church, or to work on your personal ark?

Anonymous said...

What color is your parachute?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have a recipe for groundhog? Monica requested that I shoot our resident groundhog the other day and if we have another show up I'd like to put it to good use.

Anonymous said...

Curry works well with groundhog. I would add some peppers and pineapple too!

Anonymous said...

Bake him with a tiny apple in his mouth.

Anonymous said...

Rain's not so bad. I'd help the person, and spend the rest of my life taking a great nap every afternoon, and my garden would be breathtaking. And Ryan would always want to take me fishing.
Of course, I'd really miss the sun so I'd flip longingly through pictures of sunny tropical islands and my skin would revert to it's natural ghostly pale state. However, I would have fewer wrinkles. It's a wash (ha. get it?)

Anonymous said...

Nance, did the boys watch your ear-piercing ordeal? What a great way to prevent them from ever, EVER getting an ear pierced. Especially with those big grommet things that let light shine through.
Zane's already asked if he can get one ear pierced, like a boy in his grade (who has a mullet as well). We tell him the same thing we tell the kids when they ask about tattoos. "When you're eighteen, and out of the house, and enlist in the marines."

Anonymous said...

You bet I'd help them. If I felt I needed a little sun I'd go to a tanning bed.

Anonymous said...

Grace~ Ha! Yes, you are right...perhaps it was a good thing the boyz witnessed my pain. :-)
Ed~ I was thinkin' last night in bed...would the rain follow me everywhere...but, ONLY OUTSIDE?

Anonymous said...

Monica~ If the rain, truly, follows you EVERYWHERE you go...not a good idea to be in a tanning bed! :-<>

Anonymous said...

Hello!
Nance, sorry about your ordeal, but as Tom Wolfe says, "Balance is not the same as symmetry." You are a very balanced person. I agree with M.E. that you'll just have to polish up those flirtatious head tilts and over-the-shoulder come-hither glances.
You help the person because you probably don't have much time to think about the possible consequences. I don't mind rain. I would build a spa in my home with lighting that feels sunny with the money from the grateful recipient of my selfless generosity.

Anonymous said...

I would buy some cheap desert real estate and create my own little private Eden.

Anonymous said...

What's the diff between this scenario and moving to Seattle?