Reply #17: I'd sure like to say yes. In principle I think some situations might call for ruthlessness [View All]

But that's a highly abstract thing to say about something as real as ending someone's life. I mean, if it was a convicted murderer and the crime was horrible enough, I'm pretty sure I could pull the switch. But that's a state execution, a whole government and a people through their court system made that choice, not just me.

I'm the kind of person who keeps on thinking about the ethics of my really big decisions right through to the end--always questioning, always rethinking. That really isn't a trait conducive to someone just "pulling the trigger" when the time is at hand.

There's also the question about whether I could keep my head in a crisis. I've been in emergencies where I was very clear headed, but I've also been in situations where I was pretty useless. I don't panic, but I do kinda freeze and overthink even when there's really not time to do so.