NationStates Jolt Archive

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Think hard. Not everyone has as much guts as they think.

Personally... I think I could. The life of a loved one is far more valuable to me than my own. It would be a way for me to die happy. I always wanted to die doing a good deed.

There's only one person I'd be willing to lay my life down for. Everyone else is fucked.

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Conceivably. Conceivably not. It would probably depend a lot on the manner of death.

Honestly, no, if I could be sure that saving someone else meant that I'd die. I would, however, do all that I could to help in a rescue effort of someone I love up to the point where it becomes highly probable that I'd die if I took part.

Like I said, I guess it has something to do with my desire to die doing good. To know that my death was not in vain.

Like I said, I guess it has something to do with my desire to die doing good. To know that my death was not in vain.

You'll die in a nursing home, covered in your own blood and urine, and your death could've been preventable if it wasn't for the fact that the nursing staff neglected your wrinkly old ass.

Like I said, I guess it has something to do with my desire to die doing good. To know that my death was not in vain.

Ah, but it would still ultimately be in vain. The person you save is still going to die eventually :p

You'll die in a nursing home, covered in your own blood and urine, and your death could've been preventable if it wasn't for the fact that the nursing staff neglected your wrinkly old ass.

You really know how to perk a man up. :mad:

You really know how to perk a man up. :mad:

:D I am your ray of sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day.

Ah, but it would still ultimately be in vain. The person you save is still going to die eventually :p

True, but I'd still do it anyway.

Depends on the situation.

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Think hard. Not everyone has as much guts as they think.

Personally... I think I could. The life of a loved one is far more valuable to me than my own. It would be a way for me to die happy. I always wanted to die doing a good deed.



i'm not trying to make myself sound incredible here, but I know that if it was required of me, I would lay my life down for any person I could. Example, if a gunman had both you and I cornered and said he had one bullet and one of us would have to die, I would offer myself. Why? Because I know that my life is to be used a service to others, and that I am to emulate the Love that was shown for me.

Depends on what you mean.

In many cases, I would probably not give my life for a stranger's. Maybe a kid's.

For my own kids, I wouldn't even hesitate. I know I instinctively move faster to protect my children than I do to protect myself. I'm biochemically hardwired to give my life for my children without even thinking about it. I suspect that the vast majority of parents are the same way. It seems like an evolutionary advantage that we would have picked up very early on.

I'm not sure how useful the question is to contemplate because we're not granted such certainty in real life. You can't know for sure that sacrificing yourself will really save anybody else -- perhaps a harder follow-up question is "what degree of uncertainty would you be willing to accept?"

i'd like to think so... but maybe i'm a coward when it actually comes down to it.

my mum, my dad, and my girlfriend (one day wife, i hope)... i just love them all.

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Think hard. Not everyone has as much guts as they think.

Personally... I think I could. The life of a loved one is far more valuable to me than my own. It would be a way for me to die happy. I always wanted to die doing a good deed.
I figure this is something you can talk about until you're blue in the face. One will never know until the situation presents itself. Then you're either a hero or a coward. I figure most of us are cowards.

A mom protecting her child is excepted from this... We all know how that would fall out.

It depends greatly on the scenario. For instance, let's take the Baldur's Gate hypo and say that I was put in one tank, a random stranger was placed in the other tank, and a diabolical evil genius explained the game: the first person to press the button died, and the other person could go free. It would probably take me a while, but I'd probably press the button before the other person could. It's not entirely certain though; someone may well be more altruistic in a tight spot than myself.

To change the hypo, however, suppose the button was to kill the other person. In this case I would almost certainly die, because I would refuse to push the button. No matter how long it took, I believe I know myself well enough to say that I'd never consider pushing the button. My life is just not worth another's sacrifice.

We could vary things a little by whom was in the other tank: if it were my brother, I would be hitting the button in the first hypo almost immediately, wheedling incessantly at my brother to hit the button in the second. If it were my worst enemy, I can feel quite assured given what I know about my worst enemy that I'd be certain to push the button before him/her, but that's because he/she is my enemy precisely because he/she is the most selfish, egoistic, and inconsiderate prick I've ever met in my life. Really, it'd be kind of a bonus to die for him/her, to have it buried deep down in his/her consciousness that at the end of the day, I could do for someone I hated far more good than anything he/she's ever done in her life. A kind of "A far greater thing that I have done. . ." kind of moment, if you will. If it were the second hypo, I'd be dead too fast to really rail at God for putting me in that position properly, but I would certainly be dead before he/she was.

These cases all presuppose some kind of time for rational analysis, and absent that, I don't know if I've gotten the self-sacrifice thing into my instincts yet. If I had 2 seconds to push someone out of the way of a car and get hit instead, I'm not sure if I wouldn't just freeze up.

There's only one person I'd be willing to lay my life down for. Everyone else is fucked.

Honestly, Wilgrove, none of us want to have sex with you.

Anyway, of course I would. Of course I'd also rather avoid the need for it, and I'd rather not have the situation happen at all, but if I had to, I would.

There are a few people I'd be willing to take a bullet for. Very few. My wife, and my kids.

Outside of that, I really don't know... maybe I would under the right circumstances. But those other circumstances, I'd probably have to think about... my own babies, I wouldn't even have to think once.

I don't think you can make these kind of decisions honestly unless you've faced death already, at least once, though. I certainly don't think anyone can give a real answer to the 'would you take a bullet for...' question unless they've either been shot, or shot at.

I think I could die for a loved one. It´s the ultimate sacrifice and would be more than happy to do it if it would save this person.

Depends upon the situation, does that person actually want me to die for them?

Depends upon the situation, does that person actually want me to die for them?

I'm pretty sure that, if I found myself asking that question... I wouldn't.

The ones I would die for, it's not a question - it's a reflex.

I'm pretty sure that, if I found myself asking that question... I wouldn't.

The ones I would die for, it's not a question - it's a reflex.
I duuno, maybe I think about things too much, but some of my loved ones would not be happy if I died to save them, and in certain situations, they REALLY would not be happy if I, say, killed myself to provide needed organs for a transplant for them.

Honestly, Wilgrove, none of us want to have sex with you.

Oh you know you want angry, aggressive sex with me.

I know about three people I'd die for. That's it.

I think I could die for a loved one. It´s the ultimate sacrifice and would be more than happy to do it if it would save this person.

That's exactly how I view it. I would die for the ones I love if it would save them.

"just watch me"

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Certainly; yet I love no one.

There are four people I would die for. Unquestioningly.

Certainly; yet I love no one.

Not even me?

:(

Oh you know you want angry, aggressive sex with me.

No. No I don't. Ever.

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Think hard. Not everyone has as much guts as they think.

Personally... I think I could. The life of a loved one is far more valuable to me than my own. It would be a way for me to die happy. I always wanted to die doing a good deed.

My husband, probably. My kids, probably not. Don't judge, it's the truth.

My husband, probably. My kids, probably not. Don't judge, it's the truth.

Why not?

Why not?

my children need their father and me more than they need each other and they need their father more than they need me

if it were between me and my husband I would die

if it were between me and one of them I would do what was best for the other child.

however, IRL I would kick the shit out of someone who tried to hurt my child....already have. I doubt anything would get to the death point before the person was severely injured (if past experiences predict future)

I have laid my life on the line for my country. My wife and kids wouldn't even be a question if I would do it to save them.

My husband, probably. My kids, probably not. Don't judge, it's the truth.

I respect the honesty. I will leave it at that. ;)

No. No I don't. Ever.

Fair enough

I respect the honesty. I will leave it at that. ;)

Don't get me wrong. I love my girls. I can't let my selfishness keep me from doing what is best for them.

I'm not sure how much my mom instinct would take over though.

"When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death."

So, yes I would. For anyone, anytime.

my children need their father and me more than they need each other and they need their father more than they need me

if it were between me and my husband I would die

if it were between me and one of them I would do what was best for the other child.

however, IRL I would kick the shit out of someone who tried to hurt my child....already have. I doubt anything would get to the death point before the person was severely injured (if past experiences predict future)

Oooh...I see. That's some smooth logic there, and good thinking too.

I'd still die for my ex if it meant he'd live.

I wouldn't die for my parents - they wouldn't want me to.

I don't know if I'd die for my siblings - living with that could very well damage them emotionally beyond repair, and I don't know which would be worse - dying, or living with the knowledge that I'd died for them, you know?

I'd die for my youngest sister, because she's still too young to understand, and she's more my child than sister anyway.

At this point in my life, I'm going to be honest - I might be a little too willing to step in front of a loaded gun. So if the situation were to arise, I think I'd be a little more careless with my life than I might have been, say, six months ago... or I might be six months from now. It's really hard to say unless I'm ever there, though.

Don't get me wrong. I love my girls. I can't let my selfishness keep me from doing what is best for them.

I'm not sure how much my mom instinct would take over though.

It is bizarre how sound logic is abandoned in such a situation. I got the "mom instinct" even though I'm not a mom when there was a scare at my school. I was with the kids in the library and we had to hide between the book cases and stay quiet, S.W.A.T. came out with fucking helicopters. It turned out to be an overreaction, but sitting with those kids who made my life at times so difficult I cried, I realized I'd stand up to anyone who tried to come in if it meant they could get away.

Stupid little brats.

Everyone's going to say yes, even though few can say for sure.

I would. My own life isn't worth that much to me, while the lives of people I care about are.

I am ready - if it ever comes to that - for my family, for my friends - even for stangers.
"Today is a good day to die!"
I guess I grew up a warrior in part (that stuff is programmed into us)

I watch war movies and become a warrior. I go to demonstrations and take charge.
Thank heanvens there are no wars I'd choose to participate in. If this were the 30s and 40s - I'd join to fight fascism.

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

yes

Hypothetical senario. Would you be willing to lay down your life for someone you love, if it meant that they would live?

Think hard. Not everyone has as much guts as they think.

Personally... I think I could. The life of a loved one is far more valuable to me than my own. It would be a way for me to die happy. I always wanted to die doing a good deed.

Here is my view on the thread. Depending on the situation, I would hopefully be willing to lay down my life for any human being; however, I have to admit that cowardice may get the better of me in the situation and I would probably let them die and feel guilty for the rest of my life.

I don't think I can really decide something like that in advance.

I'd like to think I could. I fear death, but I know I'd hate myself if I didn't.

Though I echo the sentiment that it would probably depend on the manner of death.

I'd like to think I could. I fear death, but I know I'd hate myself if I didn't.

Fear of death is a common thing. But I think self hate is more powerful.

Yes, my daughter and without a second thought.

I've been in a couple situations where I put myself in harms way to protect friends--could have wound up deadly for me, but didn't only because fate decided it wasn't my time. I would like to say that I did this after I carefully considered the consequences of my actions and intentionally chose the noble path of self sacrifice, but that's not the case. The reality is that I simply reacted to a threat instinctively and without rational thought. Afterwards, reflecting on what could have happened, my reaction was "boy, that was stupid."

Faced with the same situation, would I react the same way? Probably. But would I take the same risk if I had to consciously think it through first? I would like to think so, but I don't know.
I guess that means that my gut is more "noble" than my mind...is that good or bad?

Probably - I can even willingly put my life on the line for a total stranger. Of course, dying for their lives ain't exactly plan A.

Killing the would-be killers is.

True, I have to agree.

For my wife and kids, I would not think twice about it.

Also, I spend 30 years in emergency services, police/fire/ems, with 22 years as a career firefighter. So I guess that I know what it is like to put yourself in harms way for another person. It was a hell of a career, and loved every day of it.

True, but I'd still do it anyway.

Why? What about the other person? What if the other person feels much as you do? Would you take their right to die saving you away from them?

Why? What about the other person? What if the other person feels much as you do? Would you take their right to die saving you away from them?

Again I guess I agree. Both I and the person I am in a relationship with feel that we would be willing to do the same for each other. We are unsure how that would actually play out if it happened, to be honest.