Life Changing Decisions

For most of us, it’s impossible to know how we would react when faced with a situation that puts lives on the line. We can only truly know our reactions when we are faced with a situation such as a home invasion or a natural disaster. However, we can determine one thing: in a time of crisis, is it more important to us to save our own life or the life of someone else?

In times of crisis, the actions of a person often depend on their morals and values. It is common for a person to choose to not only save someone else’s life, but choose whose life they will attempt to save. In the novel Wave of Destruction, Dang makes the decision to leave a woman who is trapped in the rubble of the deadly Thailand tsunami of 2004 and attempt to search for her children instead (Krauss 122). When one has the option of choosing to save the life of a family member or the life of a complete stranger, most people would choose to save their family member. When one has to make the decision to save their own life or the life of a loved one, again, their decision is based on their morals. One article states that Dean Higgins, a 60 year old Australian tourist who was put in a crisis when an avalanche occurred on the mountain he was climbing, chose to risk his own life to dig his wife and three companions out of the snow that had buried them. One of Mr. Higgins’s companions said, “He ended up saving everyone else, but he was only wearing a t-shirt and was unable to save himself. He died of hypothermia.” (Bill 52). In this case, a man was aware that if he attempted to save his family and friends, he would die. Those who believe that their loved ones are the top priority in their lives are often completely content with dying for them. Robert J. Wright, a victi...

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...unable to survive. It is common for people who are frightened of a crisis to choose to save their lives rather than the lives of others. In The Impossible, many of the people portrayed were foreigners visiting Thailand. Because they were unprepared for a massive disaster, many of them believed that if they attempted to help others, it would cost them their lives, so they simply ignored any people in need of assistance (Bayona 2012). Unfortunately, choosing to save one’s own life rather than the life of someone else often results in the unassisted person being harmed.

Everyone reacts differently when faced with a crisis. Some react by panicking, others remain composed, and some become utterly petrified. No matter what reaction one has, a choice must be made when faced with the question: is it more important to you to save your own life, or the life of someone else?