Two Extraordinary Options And Only One Determining Choice

Sometimes being a hero is as extraordinary as choosing not to be one

Photo by Jon Tyson

Sometimes life puts us in impossible situations. They are impossible as in there is no solution that can satisfy everyone involved. Having worked in customer service, I am all too aware of such moments. It goes beyond our professional life, too. For instance, may face the disjunctive of breaking the law to achieve an objectively beneficial outcome, or abiding by it and letting an unfair act go unpunished. Another example could involve having to choose between helping a friend to our detriment or losing a friend to advance our ambitions.

For some of us, the choice might not even deserve a moment’s hesitation; depending on our principles, we might have made that choice long ago. In any case, the decision is momentous. If either has anything in common is that they are both extraordinary. It is as remarkable to go the extra mile to help a stranger as it is not to help them because the rules prohibit it even if possible.

Imposing as they are, these choices will determine the person we become. We shouldn’t judge an individual’s past based on their choices, but we can gauge the sort of future that probably awaits them.