Balance

Have you ever been given a test that was a bunch of those no-win situations? Like, you've been shipwrecked and find yourself in a life raft with 5 other people, but the raft can only hold 5 and still stay afloat. One of the people is seriously injured. What would you do? Would you throw the injured person overboard in order to save the rest of you?

Sometimes the questions give yes or no as choices, or sometimes there are multiple choices, but none of the options given are palatable. What I would do in a situation like that is get out of the raft and into the water myself. I can hang onto the side of it without pulling it under. But, that is never an option, nor is it ever an option to let someone else in that raft be faced with the tough decisions!

I'm not quite sure exactly what these types of questions tell about a person. The instinct and will to survive is a strong one, along with a multitude of other facets of a personality that can come out. Perhaps that is something each person has to decide for themselves. It's not an easy task. If I choose to live, then I am a selfish S.O.B. If I choose to get out of the raft myself, then I'm suicidal. Maybe I'm pregnant, or slated to testify against a big, bad criminal. Or maybe I want fame and martyrdom, even if I'm not able to enjoy it posthumously. Now that I think about it, I haven't gotten in a boat since faced with this damnable question!

Honesty may be a little easier to think about now. If you drop a glass on the floor, do you say, "Wow, that thing just jumped right out of my hand!", or do you say, "I am clumsy and dropped the glass. Where's the broom?" Your assignment, Jim, should you choose to accept it, is to evaluate yourself for yourself...

It is not possible to be honest with others until you are honest with yourself. I know, I know; that's what your mother always said.