Every day we are confronted with situations in which people are involved in behavior that is off putting at the least and unethical, unlawful, or even dangerous at most. Although we are unable to control the behavior of others, we do have choices in how we respond.
Watch a segment from ABC series What Would You Do?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/150941/what-would-you-do-wed-may-19-2010
Place yourself in this situation and ask, what would I do (not what should)? Be honest in your response. Then use the following questions to examine your thought process in making this decision.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 is easy, 5 is difficult), how would you rate the complexity of this situation for you? Why do you think you chose to respond to it as you did?
- What could change in the segment you watched that would alter your response to it? Why would it make a difference?
- What types of knowing shaped your thinking, your decision-making in this situation?
- How does your response connect with what Jesus says to the scribe in following scripture?
Mark 12:28-31
One of the scribes came near and heard the Sadducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your should, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these”
Join the Conversation
We welcome comments on this or other related topics on the main Spotlight page.
- Return to Jeanene Reese Spotlight page
2 responses to “What Would You Do?”
In the case of the two drunken pilots, I would definitely have to speak up(a 2 on my scale). I am not the most outspoken person, so I would defintely have to find the courage, but ultimately I’m positive I could get it done. To sit back and let those men go out and endanger people’s lives is just wrong.
Just knowing that flying is not 100% safe to begin with, and that these men are adding a huge unnecessary risk to the whole madder is enough to make you act.
In the scripture, Jesus says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Part of loving your neighbor is making sure we always do the right thing. In this case doing the right thing could possibly have saved hundreds of lives, which is such a great act of love.
On a scale from 1 to 5 i think that it would be about a three as to how easy it would be for me to speak up. Regardless of the difficulty i would go out of my comfort zone to tell him that he does not need to be doing that. I have been brought up to do the right thing and i couldnt stand there and watch them do that without saying anything. There are innocent peoples lives at stake.
In relating this to scripture, it says love thy neighbor as yourself. If I were one of those pilots i would want somebody to speak up to me and do something about the situation.