Imagine a scenario that many children are playing in a railway operational track and one child is playing in disused track; you have the right to move the train to any track, where will you move the train? This was the first question that makes the students enthusiastic about the ethical dilemma and led them to think critically. I was really confused what would be the right thing to choose? In common sense if we put the train in disused track only one child will be endangered; on the other hand many children will die if we put the train in operational track.
Then suddenly a thought came to my mind that if the disused track is not appropriate then many passengers can die. Therefore, I decided to put the train in the operational track. Later on, my lecturer explained that operational track would be the right track to select. As the children already aware that this track is always used by the train, they will move away when they heard the sound of train. So no one will die.
But if we select the disused track, that lonely child would never think that the train might come to the disused track and therefore it will result in death. In addition, the lecturer also mentioned the reason that I thought. Then I relate this scenario with my society putting majority as many children playing on operational track and minority as a lonely child in the disused track. And like others we normally take the bias decision to kill the lonely child or the minority as we only look on beneficial part without thinking about the probable way to save both. So one of the greatest lessons that I learned on that day is – “Think critically before you take a decision, do not judge anything by looking at the beneficial part only”.
After a highly interactive discussion on the above scenario, we learned some types of ethical dilemmas such as Beneficence, Autonomy, Justice, Fidelity, Nonmaleficene, Confidentiality, and Veracity. Among all these I will share my personal experience about confidentiality. When I was in college (2010) one of my friends fall in love with another friend and they were happily passing their days.
I was very close with that friend’s family and he used to share many things with me. However, one day both of their parents got to know and as usual the parents started to keep eyes on them so that they cannot meet each other. My friend was totally crazy about that girl, so he decided to get married secretly and asked for our support. Then they got married and went away from the houses. I knew where they were staying. One day his father came to my house and asked, whether I know about their staying place or not. I straightly said no and made up a story that I am not in contact with him for a long time.
Then he went back. After that one day I met my friend’s mother and she was crying a lot. I was in such a condition that I cannot describe in words. When she said “I don’t know what my son is eating? How is he? This is the first time I did not talk to him for 15 days”, I was so confused shall I tell her the secret or keep quit? Still I clearly remember, how I argued with my friend to come back to the house. At last I did not say anything to his parents as he was a very good friend. I keep it very confidential till he came back to house. I believe that I did the right thing because if I would tell to his parents it would make the situation worse as his parents was not agreed to accept the marriage. But when his mother’s crying face comes to my mind I feel guilty that I could not help her at that time. However, when my friend came back to the house, that feeling lessen down.
week 8
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