Back in college, in one of my psych classes, we discussed Kohlberg’s dilemma. Forgive me for so callously simplifying, but it boils down to this: if someone you knew were sick, and you had to steal drugs to make them well, would you? It comes down to what you value more: honesty or human life.
Kohlberg begs the apt question of the importance of human life.
In South Africa, from what I observed while living there, human life is sometimes seen as somewhat disposable. If someone with a gun comes up to a car with the intent of merely hijacking it, the driver may find themselves a casualty, even if they give up the car willingly. Similarly, some of my colleagues at a local newspaper casually mentioned one day, “Oh you know… AIDS… we all get it sometime.”
In popular culture, we see this same sort of cavalier attitude toward death in film (thanks to characters like the Joker, who kills willy-nilly), and in video games (sorry for all those who loved Halo).
While I am frustrated by those who have little value for human life, I can agree that it is a difficult commodity on which to place a price tag.
But I will venture a guess. Life is sacred. It is a gift whose significance is immeasurably great. It is worth more than billions of broken hearts, buckets of salty tears, and rivers of donated blood. Its weight can only be felt in that moment that life is teetering on the edge of lost–when a truck narrowly misses a car, when a loved one approaches the brink, when the palpable scent of existence hangs in the balance.
My heart bleeds today for to all those who have felt the frightening sacredness of life. It is awesome. And it is sobering. May we not forget its significance at the end of this holiday season as we read the news, watch a film, or spend time with our families and friends.
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