I'mma quote Gdawg with

<EOM>

How'd I put this here? lol Damn Firefox tabs

someone move it pls?

I might RISK my life, but not give my life. Totally depends on the situation and the stranger.

eta: This is assuming I have enough time to think without my actions just being instinctive. If it's instinct, I have no idea.

I don't think anyone knows until they're in that situation. I'd like to believe that I could, but goodness, who can tell?

Depends who is worth saving.

It would depend on the situation. For example jumping into a fast moving or ice covered river could conceivably make the situation worse if you end up in the position of needing to be rescued also.

Back in my home town a woman fell through ice and drowned trying to save her dog who had fallen through. Tragically enough the dog was able to get out by itself...

...

The only one you have to save yourself from is yourself.

No, absolutely not. A loved one, yes. A complete stranger is on their own.

i will save a life not exchange a life..
lisa where you come up with this doo doo from?

I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

there's a thread in OT about America becoming wusses

Oh, and Heroes came back on tv too last night

Exactly.

I feel that I should be willing to give my life for someone else, according to my beliefs, and the way I think about things. But when the time came, would I freeze? Run? Or really do it? I would hope to have the courage to do it because I believe it's a really good thing to do.

I am not thinking about something like jumping in a freezing river, I mean if someone has to die or someone has to be jumped in front of, I would hope to have the courage to do it. Like the man who jumped into NYC tracks to save the guy who fell over. He risked his life for a stranger. He didn't die but he could have and knew it.

A child, probably yes. It really depends on the stranger, the situation, etc.

Interesting . . a child's life worth more than an older persons. That issue puts another spin on this most hypothetical of questions.

Before I was married, I would have said "maybe" to save a strangers life. Now that I'm married, I'd have to say "maybe not."

IMO most definitely a child's life worth more than an older person, without a doubt. Like I said, depends on the situation, but to save a child I'd consider giving my life, yes.

To me that reasoning doesn't make sense. The child may grow-up to be the next Manson, while an older person may be the person who would have cured cancer. . . in a most hypothetical of situations!

I doubt very much whether that sort of reasoning runs through a person's head when deciding whether or not to help someone in need...

If the older person already cured cancer still the child can grow up to cure AIDS yeah it doesn't make sense, but as a grown up person I have my husband to stay alive for and the other grown up I'm sure will have reasons to live too, but I doubt I'd give my life to save this person unless I knew they were really important for the world.
The child has their entire life to live, could you watch a child die and do nothing about it? Knowing they didn't have the chance to grow to be someone, to have a purpose?

Depends on the situation.Lets put it this way-I would RISK my life to save a child (r pretty much anyone I guess) from a burning house or things like that.But I wuld GIVE my life for only two ppl on the face of this earth and thats of course my son and my man.
So yeah as I said,risking -yes,giving-no.
Nat

True. But we are reasoning about this now . . .so maybe when the time comes the instincts to react are based upon thought from a previous time in our lives. Or maybe we will just do nothing, who can really know?

Hmmm I think the reasoning comes "in the stress of the moment". Hence reasoning about it seems kind of meaningless - except in a general "feel good" sense.

The one you save today may just be the one that saves you tomorrow. The effort you put out for another is equal to the effort another will put out for you.
At least that is the way I hope it works.
Ron
FYI: I don't always live by my words, I voted Dunno.

Yes I'd have been one of the ones to hold a door shut at VTech - but I once jumped into the sea in choppy waters to save a man who had jumped in after his dog. Between us we made it and the dog saved himself - but for me it wasn't even a decision I just reacted.

Forgot to add...

For those who aren't sure - it is instinct, you either will or you won't.

The fact that most people don't these days is why the world is becoming a more hostile, selfish place - going to church regularly I think makes you someone who probably would give your life, as Jesus did to save us

I think the poster means RISKING, otherwise who would want to give up their life for another. Is one life less valuable than others. Maybe if i am old and that choice came up between me and a young kido with still a bright future ahead of him, me as an old goat i've already seen most of what life has to offer. At the V-tech incident, I would be The ONE tackle him even if he had a gun, but again it goes together, IF a plan comes out I'll go but Make sure you get that bastard, sure. Many more lives will be saved

No, I meant give your life. This was spawned from a discussion on here and from me watching Heroes, lol. I think there'd be many more yesses if it was merely risking it. I mean...would you die to save a stranger?

I personally wouldn't. I'd prolly risk mine, but give it? Only for my family.

Give my life to save a stranger? NO, but for my family, in a heartbeat. I agree with others who said they would risk their life for strangers, instinct would kick in and you would do whatever possible to help them.

My point still stand, it all depends on the situation, Like if I was one of the students, I would not mind ploting to take the fellow down, I 'll die but I want to make sure the person right behind me get that sucker.

Maybe this sounds cruel or insensitive, but I'd never give my life for a complete stranger. I just wouldn't. I might try and help -- and if that involved me risking my life, so be it -- but I wouldn't actually give my life for someone I don't know.

I'd only give my life for family for my family. Even then, I'd try and be as careful as possible (I know that's easy to say when I'm sitting on a comfortable chair inside an air-conditioned apartment, away from the many dangers of the world) because if I died, that'd bring a whole lot of heartache to my family.

Why? I think it's worth less.

I would like to say "yes" without a doubt b/c of my belief system. However, as many have pointed out, it's easy to say that but I don't know what I'd do in any given situation. If there was a choice between saving my child/loved one or a stranger, I would save my child. But then, who wouldn't?

I don't think I can make a determination based on child vs. older person, or even criminal vs. innocent. To me, life is life.

Really? A older life is worth less than a child's. Why, because of the un-tapped potential of that life in a child? Maybe the guy in the business-suit is worth more than a child's because he is a doctor, or because he owns a business that employs many people with good wages, etc. you get my point. I guess what it boils down to is that I'm not willing to sacrifice my life for another unless I think I have some quantifiable justification for doing so. A child may be innocent, but that innocence is not in itself worth my life. So maybe the answer is NO, I would NOT give my life for another.

That's exactly what I'm saying. The life of a successful older person - an educated
professional - a doctor, a businessman, a teacher, who presumably spent many
years of his or her life helping people, is worth more to me than the life of a random
child who may or may not grow up to be a successful individual.

This is then assuming that not all human life is eaqually valuable?

Is Charles Manson's life equal to Mother Theresa's?

I think that was the premise

Just thought I would throw a philisophical question in there... becaus truth be told I would have to think twice before actually doing this.

Of course NOT. Duh!

[font="Arial Black"][/font]Dunno ---hehhhe i am not a heRo

and what about the swedish bikini team?