The good and the lesser good1
Barbara Harrison once said, “The toughest choices in life are not those between good and evil, but those between the good and the lesser good.” She makes a good point given that those are the only types of choices that we must make. Sadly, there is a third type of decision that we fear the most, the decisions between the bad and the lesser bad. Distinguishing the lesser of two evils is far more difficult than identifying the greater of two goods. Many times we are faced with situations where we are compelled to lie. Lying is wrong, but in many cases is less destructive than telling the truth. Take a police officer, for example, who has just apprehended a known criminal. He’s taken away in an ambulance before the officer could finish reading his rights. In court the officer is asked if the criminal was read his rights in full. At this point the officer could either tell the truth a
What about a decision that really makes us choose between the lesser of two evils? I though you’d never ask. You have no idea when help will come. At first glance this may seem like a decision between good (charity) and evil (selfishness). Often those decisions that we recall as the hardest decisions in our lives are those that force us to pick among several choices, all with unpleasant outcomes. In these cases we ask ourselves if we are willing to give something up in order to benefit others. It’s only natural for us to avoid something that we are absolutely terrified of. It’s most likely the belief that we can help a world problem by sending our money to a greedy corporation that will keep half of it for itself: a classic no-win situation. Hypothetical situation: You are staying in a quaint, forest cabin with your family. It’s not serious but without antibiotics the wound becomes infected and leads to his death three days later. Although what Barbara Harrison said was true, she forgot to tell us that decisions between the bad and the worse are infinitely more difficult to make. Help the starving children in India! Save the rainforest! What is it that makes us compelled to harm our checkbook? Guilt? Perhaps. nd let the criminal get away or lie and have him put behind bars. An earthquake hits in the middle of the night sending tons of snow and ice down onto your cabin. At a closer examination, however, we can see that in both cases one or the other party is at a financial loss. Most people, including myself, would choose not to answer on the basis that it would never happen.
Common topics in this essay:
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Barbara Harrison,
India Save,
Aaron Period,
lesser evils,
barbara harrison,
telling truth,
type decision,
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Acceptance Essays
