The Consequences Are High

A sweet young couple gets married and moves into a new apartment. This couple goes to work together every day at 9am and gets back at 6pm. You live in this neighborhood. One day, the neighborhood lout approaches you and asks you whether you know when this young, new couple is gone from their apartment. Being that you see this as a friendly conversation, you happily give him the times that you have observed them leaving their apartment and returning to it. The lout thanks you and goes his merry way. The very next day, the lout waits for the couple to leave for work, and then picks the lock on their front door. Overjoyed at his successful intrusion, the lout proceeds to fill his bag full of the couple’s prized belongings. In his haste, the lout slices open his hand picking up one of the couple’s brand-new knives. He gathers his loot and exits the apartment. Later in the day, the couple returns from work. When they enter their apartment, they discover the theft of their prized belongings. The wife sees the puddle of blood in the kitchen and promptly faints. The young husband has a panic attack at the sight of his lovely bride fainting. He runs, screaming like a madman, from his doorway to the street outside. A father, with his son in the front seat, is driving back from a little league game. The father swerves wildly to avoid the madman in the middle of the street. Unfortunately for the father and son, the car careens into a nearby light pole, crushing the front end of the vehicle and shattering the windshield. Glass flies into the face of the boy, cutting his jugular vein. In mere minutes, the young boy’s life is lost. 

My ethics professor told us this story tonight. Awesome.

~The Piebald Penguin