So the thought came to me, you have a bum on the street and a rich, wealthy corporate executive. Both need a heart transplant, all else equal, you have one heart and can save only one and in doing this, you will definitely extend the life of that person by thirty years...
Who do you save?
The executive is 55 years now and will live to be 85.
The bum is 25 and will die at age 55 with complications to his second heart.
Note: for the sake of this hypothetical, the need for the heart has nothing to do with lifestyle, both had genetic heart defects from birth.
Note: for the sake of this hypothetical, the need for the heart has nothing to do with lifestyle, both had genetic heart defects from birth.
Who do you save?
If the hospital doing the surgery saves the executive, he will not only pay for his surgery in full, but will have an epiphany after his surgery and donate enough money for the hospital to add a new wing to the medical center.
If they give the bum the heart, since the bum has no money and no insurance, the hospital will have to absorb the entire cost of the surgery, it will take the hospital one year to recover the costs incurred by the surgery.
Who do you save?
The rich, wealthy executive is a good person and has done much for his company, his employees and his country. He's used his influence, money and power in a positive way.
The bum, has sat on the street corner and begged money and drank most of their life. They haven't made a lot of positive contributions to anything?
Who do you save?
Finally a look into the future...
The executive has several children already, rather spoiled, but one will continue on with the executive's work and positively affect the world, but in order to do this, they need to be influenced by an event or conversation they'll have with the executive 5 years after the transplant.
The bum will live out the rest of their life making no contributions to society or anyone, save one, they'll have a child, who after growing up with the parent they have vows never to be like them. With some hard work they used their company to revolutionize the entire country, thanks to the inspiration from this one person everyone drives alternative energy vehicles, along with several other major changes, it turns the economy around completely and in turn the whole world. Every industry is changed for the better through science, technology, innovation all with solid moral and ethical choices thanks in great part to a push from this one individual.
Who do you save?
Well you can't look into the future when you make decisions like this and that's the problem. People look at how much money a person has, or their success and look no further. You can feel confident you're making the right decision based on the information and still be making the wrong choice. The reason why you'll always make the wrong choice is because it really isn't our choice to make. We have to remember a soul's value can't be measured, it simply is. If we measure the value of an individual by how much money they make, their job, their successes, their possessions, then we are disillusioned. The greatest most successful man on earth is truly no better or worse than a bum on the street. We all bleed and we all die, we are the same.
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