I had an interesting moral dilemma yesterday. Hurrying to a friend who wanted me at a certain place at a certain time on a cold icy day with dangerously slippery pavements, I found I had nearly fallen over twice before I descended a footbridge and encountered a mother struggling to carry a pushchair up the stairs.
I remarked that the streets were lethally slippery and that I had nearly fallen over a few times. I added that I would take the long way round if I were her, just because the steps coming up were already very slippery.
She brightened up at my chattiness and asked if I would do her the favour of helping her with the pushchair.
The long and short of it was that I declined, saying that
(a) the stairs were very dangerous and slippery and I did not want to fall over myself
(b) I was already late for an appointment
(c) I really did recommend that she took the long way round even if it took more time
I did not say that I would never forgive myself if I assisted her in something I had already warned her against and injured myself in the process. Having an idea of the kind of temptation that Providence would find irresistible, I felt falling down the steps and breaking my crown or being the one tumbling after would be an outcome not at all unlikely.
It was only a day later that I realised that I should have helped her down the stairs again with the pushchair so that she would have been in a better position of following my advice of taking the longer way round.
Instead, I hurried on leaving her to struggle alone, falsely reassured that I had at least given her sensible advice and done all I could as a good citizen. A better citizen would have seen to it that she received the assistance and encouragement she needed to follow my advice.
THE VOICE OF REASON Solon, (born c. 630 BCE—died c. 560 BCE), Athenian statesman, known as one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece (the others were Chilon of Sparta, Thales of Miletus, Bias of Priene, Cleobulus of Lindos, Pittacus of Mytilene, and Periander of Corinth). Solon ended exclusive aristocratic control of the government, substituted a system of control by the wealthy, and introduced a new and more humane law code. He was also a noted poet.
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1 comment:
Her idea was to lift the pushchair up the stairs - this being so she decided to ask for your help.
You refused, as you had every right to.
However she didn't ask for your advice; nor a practical demonstration (by helping her to carry it back down again) that your advice was the best available under the circumstances.
The woman's determination reminds me of a couple of familiar scenes from films.
First, 'The Music Box' with Laurel and Hardy, who remained undaunted in their efforts to heave a piano up a steep staircase by the piano continually rolling down to the bottom again.
They simply repeated the process over & over – it dawning on them only much later to use the nearby road instead.
Second, Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) at the end of 'The Untouchables', hurling himself towards a pram being slowly lifted up the stairs of Chicago's Grand Central Station to prevent the baby getting hit by a stray bullet.
'Elf and safety considerations did not appear to be uppermost in his mind at the time.
So whatever happened to chivalry, eh?
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