One

In my school, they're having debate auditions, the motion is :

"Is it morally permissible to take an innocent life to save the lives of many others?"

As you know, in a debate, everyone's a hypocrite, each having own ideas on what they're gonna say, yet in the end switch sides, switch points just to win.

So, in the end, is it morally permissible?

I've heard many good points and negations from listening to the many debaters, especially from ISKL this year. At the way you look at it, maybe it is worth it. Lets say if you just sacrificed one person, you can save the lives of a hundred people in hostage. Bear in mind that this single person is COMPLETELY innocent. But then they will say lives cannot be valued. Life has no value. One is not directly worth another or more. It isn't proportional.

On the other hand, what if it was a beggar you was sacrificing? Changes your mind? Debaters then counter by saying what if it was Mother Theresa you're letting them kill to save the lives of 100000 people. What if it was President Obama.

In many religions, it says never to kill. But tell me, what if the world was about to end, and you had to kill just one clean person to save everyone? Still have any qualms?

But the main problem is that is it morally right? When you look at saving so many others, maybe yes. Then debaters say, would you kill your mother to save your entire family? In a heroic way, yes. But then they would ask you if killing your mother is moral. They would have led you halfway towards their side of the motion.

Life cannot be valued, yes. Reminds me of the time I watched The Dark Knight. The part where the Joker had held two boats full of people hostage. One was with civilians, the other with prisoners. If one didn't bomb the other boat, then they will end up dead. In the end, they could not do it. The civilians realised that though they were criminals, those were still lives.

As for as I know, in Buddhism, you are not allowed to kill. No one has the right to take the life of another. Under any circumstances. Even mercy killing.

So tell me, would you rather see the one you love suffer in inhumane pain, or end his/her misery and kill her? Though how much he/she begs for death, if you kill her your hands will be of sin and blood. But that's what I do not understand. We cannot kill, I understand that, but..they asked for it. Isn't it supposed to be an act of compassion? Yet, we are not allowed to take the life of another. It always comes down to the dilemma of great suffering, or to end one's misery.

This post was inspired by Metallica's song, One. If you read the lyrics I'm sure you would understand.


I cant remember anything
Cant tell if this is true or dream
Deep down inside I feel to scream
This terrible silence stops me

Now that the war is through with me
Im waking up I can not see
That there is not much left of me
Nothing is real but pain now

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god,wake me

Back in the womb its much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But cant look forward to reveal
Look to the time when Ill live

Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me

Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god,wake me
Now the world is gone Im just one
Oh god,help me hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please God help me

Darkness imprisoning me
All that I see
Absolute horror
I cannot live
I cannot die
Trapped in myself
Body my holding cell

Landmine has taken my sight
Taken my speech
Taken my hearing
Taken my arms
Taken my legs
Taken my soul
Left me with life in hell

I watched the music video. It was saddening, really. This man served as a soldier. But he ended up getting blasted by a mine. And he was in something like a coma. But his inside was conscious. He couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't see. He was treated so intensively, with tubes all attached to him, his face covered. The only thing he could do was speak to himself by thoughts, oh how he wailed and cried inside because he could not do anything, he had nightmares in his sleep. How he wanted his misery to end. And he wanted to die. He conveyed the message by Morse code with his fingers. And yet in the end he was left to live, just lying in the hospital, no knowing what will come next, all because his superiors would not let him die. Left to suffer in pitch black, and totally unable to tell whether he was suffering in reality or was it all a dream.

Honestly, if it was the matter of the whole world or taking one's life, I cannot bring myself to do it. :/

Saturday, October 24, 2009