I think of myself as an ethical guy. I donate blood, for instance, and I do so because I think it’s a duty to subject one self to pain and inconvenience if it will keep someone from dieing. However, I don’t follow this perfectly.
The main problem is to do with my life in general. I should be sacraficing my life and working tirelessly to become a great scientist or doctor or whatever and trying to solve the great problems of humanity. But I don’t. I spend my life trying to make myself happy.
Intellectually I think I would sacrifice my life in order to save others, you know, valiantly like happens in movies all the time. I’m not positive, because how could one be, but I’m pretty sure I would. But that’s not the same. Death is not as big a sacrifice as a miserable life.
So, what I’ve concluded, is that I have a limit. I’ve set an arbitrary line somewhere beyond which I’m not willing to sacrifice for my ethical beliefs. Somewhat humbling. I mean, I always knew I wasn’t perfect but this is a somewhat stark proof of the point.
Kinda sad.
…
I’m sure I can come up with rational sounding modifications to my ethics, or some other form of rationalization, to keep me happy, though.