The following moral dilemma occurred to me the other day:
You're somewhat thirsty. Not too thirsty, just mildly enough that you would start considering moral dilemmas involving Coca Cola and starving children.
So there you are, thirsty, when suddenly to your delight you are offered one delicious, ice-cold can of Coke. And, like most hypothetical moral dilemmas (like the one when you're on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean and the only thing left to eat is your grandmother), there is a catch.
You have a choice: Either crack open the Coke and let that wonderful caramel-colored carbonated beverage flow - or - send a portion of food of equivalent value, say seventy-five cents worth, to a starving child somewhere on the other side of the planet. Either satisfy your mild thirst and let some kid starve, or save the kid and remain thirsty.
There was not a moment's hesitation in my mind - I'd enjoy every drop. Which is what I have done and what I'll continue to do every time I have a desire for a Coke.
If one was available, I might even open a second can, even if I wasn't that thirsty and thought I'd only finish half. I'd chuck out the second half-full can of Coke (notice that I'm an optimist) into the trash like a twelve-inch loaf of freshly baked bread postmarked Express Airmail to Ethiopia - Postage Paid.
There's way too much that I love about life to give it up because someone I don't know, in a country I've never been to, has been metaphysically fucked. What exactly would it say about my opinion of life if I was so eager to throw mine away? After all, we're not talking about one can of Coke. We're talking about any cans of Coke. How exactly do you defend your right to a Coke - or to anything above bare sustenance - as long as there are people starving in the world?
Simple. You open up your window and yell...
