I read an interesting post tonight called How far would you go to protect a friend or lover? It discusses a woman whose girlfriend killed seven men and she didn't turn her in. Should she have turned her in? When? After the first murder, the second, the seventh?
Would you protect a spouse, lover, child, sibling, parent? If only one, why not the other(s)? Sue Russell the author of the article asks: Have you ever stayed silent while a friend cheats on a spouse, or looked the other way when a friend drinks and drives, maybe with children in the car? How many secrets would you keep or lies would you tell? Where would you draw the line, and have you ever truly been tested?
I wrote a post about something similar a couple of years ago and after reading the article I went back and re-read it. I'm not an amoral person. For myself there are things I would never do. I wouldn't willingly kill someone in self-defense, I think I'd rather be killed. That's theoretical of course. In an actual situation I don't know what would happen. I do know that there are people I would kill to protect.
And, though it may make me a, I'm not sure what kind of person, there are a small handful of people I'd protect if they killed someone. After reading the article I realize I'd have to add a disclaimer to what I wrote two years ago. If one of these people came to me and said they'd accidentally killed someone and would I help protect them, yeah I would. That would be knowing it was accidental and that they weren't just flipping out and murdering people. Maybe that's a copout though.
I don't know. Really, really, really I'm a very nice person! I don't lie (ok I've lied upon occasion but I'm quite bad at it), cheat or steal. I've never murdered anyone except in my head. I'm nice to stray animals and people. Well I could go on and on. How many secrets would you keep? I've kept more than a few and still have a few. Did keeping them hurting anyone? Yeah I suppose so. And given a chance to make things right, I'd probably do the same thing again.
So. . . how about the rest of you? Where do you draw the line and have you ever truly been tested? Don't I ask nice questions!
4 comments:
Great Question. Full of possible moral and legal interpretations. Having experienced our legal system and its injustices I'm not sure how I would answer the question. All you have to do is watch the news to know that if you are wealthy or a celebrity the justice system operates differently depending on who, what, where and how much.
So, my answer is no answer and hope I never have to find out.
PS
Back in the 70's a friend of ours was into drugs. He killed one of the biggest pushers in our area. The cops patted him on the back and said basically, don't come back to this town.
Was that justice? Was it morally OK? What would happen to him if it happened today? The guy walks the straight and narrow today. What do you think?
Oooh, this is a tough one. I have actually NEVER thought about this before. I can't make a decision just yet. I have to think it through.
I do wonder, though - if that friend didn't tell out of loyalty or fear.
Carol - I hope you don't have to find out either! As far as your friend - that's a tough question. Probably a rough kind of justice. I suspect today he'd be in jail but what good would it have done to spend his life in jail. I don't know. I think we need a different kind of criminal justice system. I think the motivation for the crime should have an influence on the punishment.
Peruby - Hopefully you won't have to find out either! You know I wondered that about the friend too, if maybe she was afraid. The woman who wrote the article is writing a book about the crime. I don't care much for true crime stories but it might be interesting.
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