A Question of Morality

There has always been one deep, dark ethical question universal to mankind. It existed in prehistoric times the same as it exists today. The question is 'could I kill another human being?'

To be sure, we've all thought of the question. Some of us have probably even assigned the question to undergrads as coursework. If you served in the military, the question wasn't just an academic exercise. Many of us have probably waxed philosophical on the topic over a beer or coffee with friends.

I'd answered the question to myself years ago. To protect my family and loved ones? Yep, that is a no-brainer. In defense of someone else being harmed? Quite possibly. To defend my country? I guess so. To defend my personal property? I think that might be a stretch.

I'll admit that I hadn't really thought about it much until yesterday when I was shopping. I was in one of those big box stores I absolutely loath. I was in line waiting as usual, since they had too few checkers to handle the throng of shoppers.

The shopper ahead of me was attempting to buy some fresh produce among other things. Peppers to be exact. The clerk handled the bag of peppers and the exchange between the shopper and clerk went something like this:

Clerk: What are these?
Shopper: Peppers
Clerk: Yes, I see that. Do you know what kind?
Shopper: No.
Clerk: You don't know what kind they are?
Shopper: No.
Clerk: How come you don't know what kind of peppers they are? After all, you are buying them.
Shopper: How come you don't know? You work here.
Clerk: OK, let me get my produce book out to see if I can find them.
Shopper: Oh, maybe they are Hot Peppers.
Clerk: Hmmmm (scanning book), there are no 'Hot Peppers'
Shopper: That's what they are.
Clerk: They aren't in my book.
Shopper: So.
Clerk: Why don't I read the pepper names to you, tell me if anything sounds right.
Shopper: OK.

Well, the peppers in the book were arranged it seems alphabetically because she started with Bell Pepper-Green and followed that up with Bell Pepper-Orange quickly followed up by Bell Pepper-Red and Bell Pepper-Yellow. I realize that grocery clerking is generally not a profession populated by Mensa members but I thought even the most dense individual would realize that the small green things in the bag were not Orange Bell Peppers.

This exchange continued for minutes until the clerk got to 'serrano' peppers and the shopper delightedly cried out that these Unidentifiable Vegetable Objects (UVO's) were in deed 'serrano peppers' and the clerk was able get her little code out of the vegetable book to complete the sale.

See, it was during the debate between the shopper and clerk over who bore the responsibility of knowing what these UVO's were called that I began to ponder that age old question again. I decided right then and there that yes, yes I could kill another human being.