Hard Choices

Let me relate a present day story that came to me from a friend who witnessed it first hand.

There is what can be called an "eco-tour" that begins in Northern France and travels overland all the way to Cameroon West Africa. The first part of the trip is easy and just like any other holiday or vacation, traveling through Europe and even in Northern Africa. As part of this journey, the caravan travels across the Great Sahara desert - a passage that takes at least 10 days. Precautions are taken for safety. There are check points along the way where permanent radio facilities have been installed in order to keep others advised as to the state of the travelers. You are only allowed a certain amount of poundage for food, water, clothing, and funzies per person.

According to my friend Jaques from France, there was a young woman in her twenties who was with his touring group, that continued to waste water from her own store until midway through the desert she ran out. At first, the others in the group gave her water from their personal supplies. She still did not realize the seriousness of the situation and washed when not needed and so forth. The others, seeing their own stores being dangerously depleted, finally refused her any more water. She died of severe dehydration between the time the next check-point was reached and when the rescue helicopter was able to make it to the still traveling group. (Remember they had depleted stores of water and still had a considerable way to go.)

My friend is to this day troubled about what happened to this young French woman. He and others will always ask themselves whether one ounce would have saved her life, or would that one ounce less have killed the rest of them. There is no good answer to these questions. We only know that in order to be troubled by such a moral dilemma, one must be alive and surviving to ponder it.

Offered by Geoff.