I could not love some one who did not love me in return... but in the situation given, then I think I would choose to have the child regardless. I would not have an abortion because some one else required me to...


NEXT.

You find the latest Lord of the Rings film on KaZaa... do you download it?

The film has not yet been released, and it would be free of charge for you...

No, I wouldn't download it. I have too much respect for Tolkien, plus, my friends and I have a tradition (like I'm sure alot of us geeks out there) that we want to see it on the big screen at 12:01 am on opening night together. Downloading it would ruin the experience.
****
You have a corner office where hardly anyone bothers you at work and your job is really easy. You found this awesome debate website that you're addicted to and you can pretty much debate all day long without any chance of being caught...

Well, this hits close to home, doesn't it? My job isn't exactly "easy," but it does require me to spend most of the time staring at this computer, and I do have time to spend here. In my own case, this does not reduce at all the amount of work I'm doing. If I weren't here, I would be reading a book or something else. Maybe I'm just trying to sooth my own conscience, but I don't think this is wrong. If I were avoiding actual work, that would be another thing.

Next: One of your relatives made changes in a will at the last minute that will completely cut another relative out of a large sum of money. You got along well with the deceased, and you get along well with the other relative, but they had a major fight that caused this problem. You are the only one who knows about the new will, and it would be easy to ignore it. Do you respect the wishes of the deceased, or allow the other relative to inherit the money that you think is deserved?

I think I would have to turn the new will in. It is not my decision what happens to the money or possessions of the deceased and if they had a change of heart before they died then that is there decision to make. I don't know how I would face the person who would now not inherit the large sum of money expected, especially if they were certain that the death would benefit them.

I definitely think the last will of a dead person should be honoured even if you don't happen to agree with it. Even if I was the person who would drop from the inheritance I would understand that decision and hand in the new will.

Next: You are the head teacher of a school, which is not doing very well, and you are desperate to increase the schools image. You have also been under immense pressure from the board to increase academic achievement. You know that because the schools reputation you get very few high achievers applying and being in a repressed area means the vast majority of the children will not get good grades and so further lower the schools reputation.

Should you modify the exam papers and hence change the results, before sending them to the examiner, to try and turn the school around?

No, I wouldn't falsify exams to make the school look "good". I wouldn't even approach it by looking at grading or other symptoms. Reputation doesn't mean anything, but what's more important is taking care of the kids that are currently there.

Next:
Someone at your workplace keeps on parking in the handicap parking spot and it has no handicap parking sticker. What do you do?
A. Ignore it
B. Report it to the police
C. Report it to HR
D. Key the car
E. Other

I have to go with "other." If this had happened once, I would probably ignore it. But you said the coworker "keeps" doing it. I don't do things like key the car, and I try not to be a rat fink, so the other choices aren't acceptable. I would talk to the person, and ask if there is some health problem, and if I could help obtain a handicapped sticker. (There is some possibility that this is the case.) Maybe the person will feel a little guilty and stop doing it. If I am told to mind my own business, I will. I still don't think I would report the person, but if someone asks me who owns the car, I will tell what I know.


Next: A close friend has always dreamed of being a poet. The friend asks you to read some works, and you do. They are all very bad, full of trite phrases, corny rhymes, and poor writing in general. What do you do when the friend asks for your opinion?

A close friend has always dreamed of being a poet. The friend asks you to read some works, and you do. They are all very bad, full of trite phrases, corny rhymes, and poor writing in general. What do you do when the friend asks for your opinion?

Gah - this has happened to me - more than once (especially when I was working as a critic). I generally told them that poetry wasn't my area of expertise, that I wasn't particularly a fan of poetry in general (not entirely true), and that they might do better to ask someone else. If they insisted, I'd have a look at their stuff and say someting like "To be honest, it didn't do much for me - but, then, most poetry doesn't."

More difficult was people who would show me a play script or a screenplay (since I was promarily a theatre and film critic). In those cases, I wouldn't say that the writing was terrible outright, but would try to make a few recommendations about plot or dialogue (this was often a pretty open field) or say something like "I can see what you were trying to do, but you might want to start with something a bit closer to your own experience" or, if the piece was meant to be autobigraphical, something like "I think you may be too close to the material, maybe you should try something where you can give your imagination free reign".

If they were a very close friend and the writing was unutterably bad, I'd be as delicately honest as possible. Tell them that I really didn't think it was great. I'd point out that, realistically, very few scripts - even the best - ever make it to the stage or screen, but if they were writing purely for their own pleasure to go ahead and enjoy themselves.



Next: You have been physically attracted to a colleague for several months, almost to the point of obsession, but have never really made a move (assuming that you are single and unattached). They have just got a job in another city and, the day before their departure they confess that they have been physically attracted to you for several months, almost to the point of obsession, but have never really made a move - and ask if you'd like to spend their last night in town with them.

It so happens that the night in question is the date of your best friend's 21st (or 50th or whatever's most likely for your age range) birthday party, which has been planned for months. Do you spend a night of potentially earth-shattering pleasure with someone you may never see again or do you honor your friendship and go to the party?

I would go to the birthday party, but would "suddenly" have an urgent call and have to leave unexpectedly. "I'm so sorry! I promise I will make this up to you." Plus, there are always other birthdays, and you will always wonder what the experience would have been like.

Next: Your boss's work office is being fumigated and he wants to use your office while you go on a week's vacation (to Disney World!) with your family. However, when you return, you look in the History folder for some website you went to in the past, only to find some hugely inappropriate material on your computer. There is nothing illegal on the computer, but the content is blatantly offensive (use your imagination). Do you report him or keep quiet?

I would keep quiet about it, and use it as blackmail
material for the future, like the next time I
want to go to Disneyworld - I'd request a few extra
paid days.......


Next dilemma: You are 25 years old, and wheel-chair bound, due
to a skiing accident. You cannot care for yourself, and had to move
back in with your parents. You lost your girlfriend, etc.

There is a miracle surgery that could give you back full use
of your legs. The only thing is, there is a 50/50
chance that you will die during the surgery.
Do you have the surgery, and take the chance?

Having working legs would not be worth risking my life. There are still many things that I would be able to do with my arms that could make up for the loss of use of my legs. However, if I was a quadraplegic, it might then be worth considering a risky surgical procedure.

Next:
You are in an upscale restaurant. Before enjoying your meal, you go to the restroom to freshen yourself. As you go in you hear a toilet flush and out of the stall comes a person dressed as a chef. The person doesn't wash their hands and proceeds to walk out of the restroom. What do you do?

For those who are interested, the is a wonderful book at there full of very interesting questions just like these.

Book of Questions by Gregory Stock

Very good for developing interesting conversations....

As much as I hate to make a scene, I think I would have to report this as quietly as possible to someone in management, as this is a health hazard. (There's some possibility that there is a special place for the employees to wash up or something, so I would be willing to listen to an explanation.) I would not panic or make a big fuss, but this needs to be addressed.

Next:
You witness the landing of a UFO and make contact with the beings inside. There is no possibility that this is a hoax or a delusion; you are absolutely certain that you have met intelligent creatures from another world. The problem is that you were alone in an isolated place and you have no proof of the incident at all. Do you tell the world, or keep it to yourself?

I would tell my husband and my mom, because I know they
would believe me. But, I wouldn't tell anyone else. It would
be asking for trouble.



Next dilemma: You are in a grocery store about to get in line.
A lady, very rudely, cuts in front of you. She makes her purchases,
and as she is about to leave, you notice a $20.00 bill drop out of
her wallet. What do you do?

Keep the $20. She cut in front of you and wasted your time. She owes you lost time, so the only way i can see of making up for it is to take the money.


Next Dilemma: (I got this off a TV show): You are a Navy lawyer and you are asked to defend a Navy woman who shot a Turkish General in her home. She claims that she shot him in self defense because she had a gut feeling that he was going to kill her (He locked her door when he uninvitingly entered her home after she requested that he stay outside while she get dressed beause she had gotten out of the shower). Her relation to this General is this: She was working as a computer systems upgrader who was upgrading Turkish computers to NATO standards. The General was being suspected of uploading American secrets from the Turkish computer at the time of the upgrading & the General might have suspected of her finding out. Anyway, as the Navy lawyer, you find out that your superior was asked to ask you to lose the case for political reasons. Do you defend the navy woman to your best or do you throw the case?

Wow, talk about a no-win situation. It sounds like I'll be ruining my career if I fail to obey my superior officer, and someone else who is more pliable will be assigned to the case in my place. On the other hand, deliberately throwing the case is clearly unethical. I suppose I would do my best to stall my superior officer while trying to do the best job I could for the defendant.

(Since this is a TV show, I assume the lawyer and the defendant fall in love, investigate the Turkish officer on their own, nearly get killed but escape, and win the case.)


(Next: A close relative who was a fanatical supporter of a certain college football team has passed away, and left instructions for a rowdy funeral with team colors, cheerleaders, videos of games, and so on. Most of the other relatives reject this idea as being in incredibly bad taste, and will be very upset with you if you go through with it. Unfortunately, you're in charge of the funeral arrangements. What do you do?)

I'd organize a "normal" funeral first so that all the relatives would be able to mourn properly. Then have a post-funeral celebration, er, memorial, for all the college football fans.

Next: You are a college student attending a physics lecture. You are sitting in the front row along with 300 other freshmen. As you watch the professor, you notice that his fly is down. What do you do?

Actually, you're wrong about that. They do investigate the Turkish officer, who was connected to a terrorist cell. Also, the lawyer won the case but the woman turned out to be a spy for the CIA and was supposed to be put to death "on paper"

Sad to say, I would do nothing but listen to the lecture and take lots of notes. There are 299 other freshmen who can tell him. I do not want be remembered as the one the professor associated with his embarrassment. A survival strategy, to be sure, as higher math has never been my strong suit, and I don't need this man's animosity.


Next ethical dilemma: The college you are attending has somehow failed to charge you the full tuition you owe. Do you tell them like the Eagle Scout you are, or hope that they do not discover the error?

oh my god, I would go to church every day for the next year and sacrifice my first child! Well, maybe not that extreme, but I would be extremely overjoyed at my luck, not tell a soul, and put the money I wasn't charged in an interest bearing account - just so I still have the money in case the university figures it out (as would most likely be my luck) and I might make a few dollars off of it like the school I attend always does when it inevitably overcharges me each and every single semester. Of course, if I got away with it, I would prob begin to feel guilty when I entered the work force and had money to spare - so knowing me I would plan to make donations to the university for the same amount of money over the next several years.

next question: (anyone in the medical profession may have heard this classic ethical dilemna - some may have even experienced some variation) You are a young medical student, volunteering in your spare time at a local HIV/AIDS clinic. One day your best friend's boyfriend arrives - and you notice as you pull his chart that he has been a patient at the clinic for several years. Your friend has only dated this man a few times and you know they have not been intimate yet, but you also know its on the horizon. You have signed confidentiality agreements and have even been trained in the federal laws mandating patient confidentiality (HIPAA). What do you do? Do you break patient confidentiality? Afterall you are only a volunteer - even though you are also training to be a doctor. Or do you stand by your principles and remain mute?

I would approach the issue this way: I'd ask my best friend
if she has had discussions, with this guy, about STD's. And
if she says "no", I'd tell her that before she becomes intimate
with him it is important that they each know the other has a clean
bill of health. I'd advise that they get tested together, or
something. That would solve the problem without me breeching
my confidentiality agreement.


Next dilemma:

You are dating this really great guy. He's tall, handsome,
and very affectionate. A real sweetheart. A couple of months
after you've been going out you find out that he is in the
Italian Mafia. He is involved in every aspect, good and bad.

Do you continue to date him, knowing he's doing tons of
illegal stuff?

Heck, no! This guy is dangerous. In fact, my biggest problem is how to break off the relationship without getting myself killed! I suppose I would try to manipulate things so that he dumps me (by not looking my best, being a boring companion, etc.)

Next: Sequel to the above. The guy has dumped you, and you now feel safe. Do you leave things as they are, or take the risk of reporting this guy to the cops, knowing it would put your life in danger and that you might have to go into the Witness Protection Program and get a whole new identity?

(to use your quote, Victoria) "Heck no! This guy is dangerous."
I just put on 30 pounds so he'd dump me. I'll hit the gym, forget
about HIM, and move on!!


Next dilemma: You live next to a very rude and mean
neighbor. He has constantly been hostile to you and your
children, for no apparent reason. One day, the mailman
accidentally delivers one of his letters to your house.

Inside there is $100.00 in cash, with a note from his mom
that says "here's a little birthday present."

Do you keep the money or give it to him? (he will never
know if you keep it, and the letter has been opened - and it
would be hard to explain why you opened his mail)

As tempting as it might be to keep it, I hope I would just seal it up and mail it to him in a new, typed envelope free of fingerprints. No sense stirring up trouble.

Next: You're at a picnic enjoying some potato salad. You see that a friend has just taken a big bite that has a bug in it. Should you say anything, in case it might be dangerous?

I guess, if they weren't yet chewing, I'd tell them to spit it out.
Just because I'd want someone to tell me, if I were the one
about to eat a bumble-bee.


Next dilemma:

You are camping with your significant other.
You brought along your beloved family dog.
A Pit Bull that you have had for a few years.
Thus far, he's been the most loving pet, and
has never done anything violent.

In the middle of the night, he starts attacking
your mate, to the point that he is bleeding
profusely. You manage to get the dog contained.
You tie him to a tree. (and apply first aid to
your mate's wounds)

In the morning your mate tells you that he/she
thinks you should shoot the dog, and bury him out in the
wild, because he has turned evil, possibly, and
could be potentially capable of really harming someone.

But the decision is left to you.

Another terrible dilemma. I would hope that I could have the dog adopted into a good home. If the dog is truly dangerous, I really wouldn't know what to do. If it truly were a deadly menace to people, I suppose I would have to agree to have it killed painlessly, but I would need to be absolutely convinced of that.

Next: It's the holiday shopping frenzy, and you need to go to the store to get a bottle of milk. There is no parking at all, except for one handicapped space. You are not handicapped. Because of self-serve checkout, you will be in the store for only a few minutes. The odds that anyone will need the space, or that you will get a ticket, are extremely low. Do you take the parking space, or go home without the milk?

I can get milk at the 7 Eleven later on. Unhandicapped people parking in the Handicapped spaces is one of my pet peeves. There might be a time when I will need that parking space, but I don't now.


------------------------------
Next dilemma: You're waiting on a customer at a jewelry counter. The customer is trying on diamond rings and looks very close to making a decision on a very costly one. Your department desperately needs this sale to make this week's projection; without the sale it is likely that your hours will be cut back.

The customer is loud and tactless. She sees a woman in very plain clothing and a very short haircut walk by and remarks, "Well, there's a butch! My husband has to work with someone like her. I wish they knew their place and stayed there."

Your co-worker, another woman, is a lesbian who wears appropriate makeup and clothing for the job. She looks at you, then looks away.

Do you say anything to this customer, or do you keep quiet?

Hoo-boy. This one hits me hard, since I strongly favor complete social equality based on sexual orientation. This is just the same, to me, as if the customer had called someone a "dirty Jew" or a "dumb honky."

So what do I do? Yell at them? Not my style. Try to point out that they are stereotyping someone unfairly? A waste of time, I think. Instead, I go into my "coldly polite" mode -- something I am very good at. This customer is going to have to deal with the Ice Queen. If the sale is lost, so be it -- they will have no real complaint to report about me, since I will treat them with frigid courtesy.

After the customer leaves, I will tell my co-worker that I am sorry the customer was such a jerk. If my co-worker thinks I should have spoken up, well, I'll have to admit that she is probably right, and apologize for my cowardice.

Next: You have volunteered as a bone marrow donor, willing to go through the very difficult and painful process of making the donation if it is needed to save someone's life. You are called to make a donation. Somehow, you find out that the person you are making the donation for is the leader of the local American Nazi Party who has been making life miserable for a lot of people in your community. You are given the chance to back out of the donation, and there is some possibility they will find another donor. Do you donate or let the Nazi take his chances?

I think I would back out.....if the man has so little regard
for others I could not justify helping him in such a personal
way..... Nobody owes him his life. I would find a way
to donate to someone who would be more deserving.



Next dilemma:

You are home alone one night, watching a scary movie.
The phone rings and when you answer the voice on the other
end says, "I'm watching you." You get really scared and call
the police.

This happens continuously for about a week, so you have
a trace put on your phone. With the help of the authorities
you realize that the calls were being made by your brother-in-law.
(a highly respected doctor in your community, and the husband
of your sister).

Do you confront him, letting him know that you know he's the
one calling you? If not, how do you resolve the situation?

I would certainly confront him, but not alone. I would have my sister there as a witness. If he tried to deny it, I would present my evidence. The odds are that he thought he was being funny, and I want to make sure he knocks it off. If his intents were more sinister, I want him to know that the police know who he is, and that his wife knows what he had been doing.


Next: You just found a magic ring that grants one person one wish, without any limitations. The catch is that the person who finds it can't use it; you have to give it to someone else to use. To whom do you give it?

Three people come to mind: my mom, husband, and brother.

If I gave the wish to my mom or my brother we'd probably end
up with World Peace or some such thing. If I gave it to my
husband there's a chance I'd be typing my next post from our new
home in the French Riviera.... what to do!!! hmmmmm

I guess I'd give the wish to my mom, and let her deal with the
burden.

Next dilemma:

Your best friend is terminally ill, and in extreme pain all the time.
He has been given 3 months to live. One day, as you are visiting
him in his home (where he is to remain until his passing), he asks
you to administer a lethal injection. He has the syringe and the
necessary drug that will take him out of his misery. He begs you
to do it for him.

What do you do?

Given that the situation is hopeless, I will certainly administer the drug. I have allowed cats to be killed to end their suffering; why would I deny this to a human being?

Next: The time is the future. Your only child has been offered the chance to join the first starship to travel to another solar system. The ship will travel so fast that time will slow down for your child. When the ship returns, you will be twenty years older, but your child will only be one year older. From the child's point of view, you will have only been separated for a year; from your point of view, you will not have seen your child for two decades. Do you try to persuade your child not to leave?

As hard as it would be, I would have to let him make the choice
for himself. Life is about pursuing dreams and if that is his dream
it would be very selfish for me to stand in the way. But it would be
emotionally very difficult to deal with...

Next dilemma: You are 4 months pregnant. Through
amniocentesis the doctor has discovered that your baby has
a severe abnormality. One that will render him physically and
mentally severely handicapped. This would be your first
child (you've been trying for years to get pregnant, and finally
did). Do you keep the baby?

That's a very difficult question.
I think I would keep the baby, not because I've been trying and desperately want a baby, but because I wouldnt be able to part with the baby, after having the baby for 4 months. Also, I would feel wretched all my life if I gave a death sentence to a developed living baby, my own.
I would worry about what kind of life the baby would lead, and think against it, but I think keeping the baby would win out, I would like to give the baby a chance. If the baby is born, I believe God will have a purpose for him/her.

Next Dilemma:
You're in a society where dating and making out is looked upon as something evil and parents don't allow even there 18/19 year old children to date. However, your best friend is dating this guy, and after a while she breaks up with him as they're not getting along well. The guy, feels insulted at getting "dumped" and threatens your friend to have sex with him or he would show her mother some graphic nude pictures he took of her. Your friend, fearing what her mother would do, agrees. You know that this is about to happen, do you go and tell your best friend's mother about this beforehand so your friend does not have to go through an "un-technical" rape or do you stay quiet and let it happen. (You also cannot go for external help because of the society's view of these things).

In this totally bizarre scenario, its none of anyones business but the people involved. This comes under 'learning experience'. Everyone in this type drama needs to get their poo-poo together, excluding outside influence.

As seen on Outer Limits:

A student who has been ostrasized by teachers and peers for 'incorrect and unworthy assumptions', unable to graduate, creates a cold fusion bomb (real) and is holding an entire student body hostage, as well as experts and in fact an entire city. He has a bone to pick. He wants the 6 people that told him he couldnt graduate or wasnt worthy excecuted in front of him, or he will detonate the bomb, within 24 hrs, and he will do it. His setup is foolproof, if he is killed the bomb goes off anyway. The city needs at least 7 days to evacuate.
The six people were proved to be wrong and also out for self interest, such as delay to create the bomb themselves, or people who made this students life unlivable. They are all assembled. The countdown is close and two bombs( to prove the reality) have already gone off killing close friends and law enforcement comrades, partners etc. Your own wife and children have not been advised to leave the city. There is no way out.

As a military/police commander, do you:
Refuse to negotiate, knowing the whole city will be blown to bits including yourself and loved ones?
Execute one ( of the 6) at a time, and negotiate at each step?
Other?

IT would be in the best interest of the majority of the people
to execute one at a time, and negotiate each step.
If there's no other way......I'd rather lose the 6 who were
responsible (to some degree) for making this guy go nuts
and pull such a stunt, then lose the whole city (myself included)..


Next dilemma:


You have just found a wallet on the ground. You look
inside to see who it belongs to, and you find $1,000
in cash, along with all the other stuff that would be in
a wallet. You call the owner, because his home number
is written on the inside. When you tell the guy that you
found his wallet he is very rude with you, and says,
"All my money better be in there. Or I'll track this number
and you'll pay."
You are bothered by his ungrateful attitude, and a little
intimidated. What do you do?

Wimp that I am, I'll just give him back everything without saying anything. I sure hope nobody else took any money out of the wallet, or he still might threaten me. I'll just have to deal with that if it happens.

Next: You are the primary caregiver for a teenager with a mental age of only a few years, who will never improve. Otherwise physical health is normal. The teenager shows obvious signs of discovering sexuality. How do you deal with this?

Assuming it's a boy, I'd find him a retarded girlfriend
and tell them to "have at it." I'd make sure he used
some form of contraceptives. (I'm being facetious...
I wouldn't really do that)

I'd actually seek some type of help, whether it be a
counselor who specializes in this type of situation.
I wouldn't really know what to do, on my own.



Next dilemma:


You bought a lottery ticket and it hit the jackpot.
You are now 1 million dollars richer. The problem
is this: your husband/wife has a real problem
with overspending. You know if you told him/her
the money would be spent in a week's time.

What do you do?

Tough situation. I would first of all pay all outstanding debts, and then invest a good chunk of the money in some sort of fund that would pay a certain amount of money each month, for living expenses. Then I would allow my spouse to splurge a bit. If the person really has such a serious spending problem, I would try to suggest professional help.

Next: Here is an old paradox. A mysterious person sets two boxes in front of you. Box A has five bucks in it. Box B has either one million dollars or nothing. You may either take both boxes, or only Box B. Sounds like a simple choice, doesn't it? Here's the catch: The same person has made the same offer to millions of people. In each case, every person who took both boxes got only five bucks. Every person who took only box B got the million dollars. What do you do, and what does this tell you about free will?

I would just walk away. I wouldn't trust
a mysterious stranger offering me boxes
with millions. He'd probably want my soul
in exchange, or something.... I don't know.



Next dilemma:


You are the spelling champion of your city.
In every competition you enter you take first
prize, you're that good.

There is a big State contest coming up, and
you are nervous about it. A close friend says
he can gain access to the word list that will be
used for the competition. Do you accept his offer?
There is no way you'll ever be caught.

I would not ask for the list, and I would wonder about my friend. If I didn't win the spelling contest fairly, I would feel guilty every time I looked at the trophy.

Next dilemma:

A person who is known to you to be a slacker and backstabber is accused by Management of stealing merchandise from your store.

You see someone else, a likable, hard-working person who is a friend of yours,
pull out of her locker the very thing that the other staffer has been accused of stealing. There was only one of these items in the inventory prior to the theft. You know without a doubt that she could not possibly have purchased the item.

Your shift is over. Everybody is getting ready to leave. The first worker is going to be fired if you do nothing. Do you remain silent, or do you tell Management the truth?

I would tell Management the truth.

It seems to me that I have worked with both these individuals at some point in the past.

"Roger," a person who was occasionally promoted to temporary supervisory positions, was a slacker and backstabber. No one who worked with him, or under him would have missed him for a minute. Working around "Roger" meant that I always had to document what I was doing, when, and why. Like everyone else, I knew he couldn't be trusted, and I wouldn't have missed him if he had ever been fired.

"John," was easy going, likable, a "hard-working" person, who was often suspected of theft; but usually had an iron-clad alibi. As an example, he completely refurbished a table saw scheduled to be scrapped out, and put it back into service. It was carefully watched day and night for weeks. Everyone relaxed when he went to Texas for two weeks on company business. In fact, a supervisor was talking to him in Texas on the telephone, when it was discovered that the table saw was missing. "John" also kept a file, I was told, on all of his co-workers and supervisors. His track record was 100%, anyone who ever tried to discipline him lost their job. (Being married to a major stockholder has its advantages.) Had I seen "John" pull out of his locker the very thing that another staffer had been accused of stealing, I would have had to report it very quickly, so that he might actually be caught in the act. To ignore his actions would be aiding and abetting the crime, something that he would place in his "blackmail notebook," and I would risk being forced to assist in future crimes.

"Roger," on the other hand, had so many enemies, that while unpleasant to work with; he actually posed little actual threat to the job security of his co-workers.

Next dilemma: Recalling an action taken by one of the above men, led to the next question:

It is your birthday: You are having lunch at work when a strip teaser walks in, turns on a CD player, removes all of her clothing, and invites you to leave with her. Do you take the afternoon off and accept her invitation, or finish out the day and go home to your wife?

I would enjoy the show, say "Thank you," then go home and tell my spouse all about it. Maybe I could give the same gift some other time.

Next: You just bought something from a vending machine and forgot to get your change. The person behind you finds it and says "Wow! This quarter has a rare engraving error! It must be worth a couple of thousand bucks!" Do you say anything, or just walk away?

At that point I would say, "You should have kept your big
mouth shut! That special nickel belongs to me. Hand it over, pal!"


Next dilemma:


You are very upset with your spouse, and in your
fit of anger you throw away a favorite article of
clothing. A couple of months go by, and now
the spouse is looking for it. Do you own up to
what you've done? Or do you act like you don't
know where it is?

I'd tell her.

Next Dilemma
You live in a country that is at peace. Life is good and the people are safe and happy. Everything is as perfect as could be. You learn that practices of your country are destroying a small neighboring country forcing it's people to flee to other lands. If you expose this it will destroy the prosperity of your home causing it to fall apart. What do you do.

It seems clear to me that the best thing to do is to make the best of a bad situation and end the practices that are hurting the other nation. I would hope that, in the long run, this would be good for everybody.

Here's a variation on this kind of situation, taken from the short story "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. LeGuin:

You live in the Utopian city of Omelas, where everything is just fine. At a certain age, you are taken to see a child who lives in complete misery. You are told that the happiness of Omelas depends on the misery of the child. There is no possibility of helping the child; it will continue to live in misery even if the city of Omelas is abandoned. You only choices are to enjoy life in Omelas, or to walk away.

Are you one of the ones who walk away from Omelas?

This sounds like one of those "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few--or the one" type of questions.

Would I destroy Utopia to alleviate the suffering of one child? Yes, I would because it is a false Utopia built upon a lie. I refuse to accept the possibility that misery is permanent and cannot be alleviated. The idea that "the poor are always with us" is to me a weak excuse for not making the effort to change the conditions that create poverty and despair.

Let Omelas fall. A Utopia built once can be built again.

Here's my Ethical Dilemma:

It's two weeks before Christmas and you've been laid off from the company where you worked 10 years. They closed up and moved to Mexico. You have exhausted your unemployment benefits, raided your savings and 401K, borrowed your last nickel from family and friends. Bills are piling up, you can't find work and you have two young kids and a spouse depending on you. Things are tough.

You're driving down the road in traffic. You're lost in thought about how you are going to make Christmas with only $20 in your wallet. Suddenly, money is falling from the sky---literally. You see cars stopping and people jumping out to stuff dollars into their pockets. Up ahead, the doors of a Brink's truck have opened and bags of money have tumbled out. Thousands of dollars are blowing away in a stiff wind.

You slam on your brakes. You jump out and grab as much money as you can. You even see a few people you know doing likewise. Tens, Twenties, Fifties and Hundreds fill your pockets, down your shirt and stuffed in your pants. You look like a scarecrow stuffed with dollars instead of straw. Sirens approaching in the distance snaps you back into reality. You run back to your idling car and zip away from the scene.

Safe at home, you're relieved to see your spouse and the kids are out. You rush into the house, lock the door and head into the bedroom to count the money. You've recovered about $6000. Not enough to retire on but certainly enough to get your bills paid and still have plenty left over for a nice Christmas.

You stuff the money in a shoebox and decide you'll tell your spouse about your windfall when they return. You sit down to watch the evening news. A reporter says the police had a camera trained on that area where the money fell out of the Brink's truck. They claim they have pictures and license numbers of the people who took the cash. They say they will not arrest anyone who turns in the money within the next 24 hours.

Your mind starts working furiously. What camera? You've been going that same route for years and you never noticed a camera. But that doesn't mean one couldn't be there. Maybe the cops are bluffing. They're trying to shame or scare people into returning the money. But what if they DO have your picture and license number?

So what do you do? Keep the money which you desperately need or turn it in like a good citizen?

I'm trying to put myself in that situation. Honestly, if I
knew I could get away with it, I might just keep the money.
But, since a report says there were cameras, I'd be too
scared of getting caught. So, I'd return the money
and apply for welfare.



Next dilemma:

You are engaged to be married.
Your wedding day is two days away.
Your bride/groom to be has spent
upwards of $50,000 dollars on the
wedding. You are having serious doubts
about going through with it.
What do you do?

If there is any doubt in my mind at all, I have to call off the wedding. I must have been a fool to let things go so far, but marriage is too important to fool around with. I'll offer to help try to recover as much of the cost of the wedding as possible. I suspect that the person I was going to marry is going to be very upset with me for a long time, with good reason.

Next: Your best friend is single and is having an affair with a married person. You are the only other person who knows about this. What, if anything, should you say to your friend?

I don't think I would say anything. As her best friend,
it is not my job to judge, and unsolicited advice may create
a rift in our friendship. If asked I would try to help her make
a decision that would hurt the fewest amount of people.


Next Dilemma:


Someone keeps making prank phone calls to you.
After several months of these calls you decide to
do a little detective work. You find out the area from
which the calls are coming (a town where an acquaintance
lives). That is the only person you suspect it could be,
so you confront him/her and he/she denies it.
But, you feel very strongly that it is that person, and
you are uncertain if he/she is dangerous.

What do you do?

Difficult situation. If the person has denied it, there is not much I can do but change my phone number and/or get caller ID installed. I guess I would take a "wait and see" attitude until I did anything else. Maybe I'm being foolish by not taking stronger precautions.

Next: Ouch! You've just been in a fender bender. The driver behind you ran into you. It's 100% the fault of the person behind you. Nobody has been injured. There are no other witnesses. Your car, luckily, has only had minor damage -- maybe a hundred bucks or so of body work. The other driver faces a more costly repair bill. You're about to exchange insurance information when the other driver pleads with you to just forget the whole thing; the other driver has no insurance at all, and that's a crime in your state. What do you do now?