“All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire.” - Aristotle

What is wrong? And What is right?

Can, us mere humans decide the value of a single life?

Does the life of a rich, powerful person hold more worth than the life of a weak, poor individual?

Let’s say, you are standing near a switch which diverts train tracks, and a train is coming towards you. A poor person has been tied up with the track, and if you don’t press the switch, the person will meet his end, but if you do decide to press the switch, a powerful  person who has been tied to the next track will get killed, will you press the switch? Probably, not.

What if there were 5 poor people instead?

What if there were 10 poor people instead?

No? Then, what if, there were 100 poor people instead?

Will your answer, still be a no?

How do you decide how many poor people combined are worth more than one rich person?

Each individual has a different perspective of analyzing events and reacting to them, but the natural instinct to a predator, the reflex is to protect yourself. So, every soul is the same?

But, individuals with more physical power and might, they will attack the danger instead, so are they worth more? They are different, and rare.

So, what will you do, if you have to choose between a million common people and a few hundred important people?

In my opinion, both the options are wrong, as we mere humans can’t decide the value of life.

If given a chance, will you press that red button to launch the nukes and end the war, saving billions at the cost of a few millions?

Will you push your friend to bait the monster, and run away or sacrifice yourself to save yourself? In a situation of crisis, the basic instinct is to save yourself, therefore, is our own life worth more than the life of any other human, or is it not?

But on the other side of the spectrum, I also feel that if these strong men did not exist, then who would have protected the weak? If the red button is not pressed, then the war will destroy more families.

As said by Lord Krishna, “Don't worry about the results, just do what needs to be done.”

One should do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, what they do might be poison for some, but cure for others.

This is the core reality, nothing truly is right or wrong. 

You could push your friend and save yourself, there is nothing wrong with that, but sacrificing yourself to save someone else is not wrong either. You just have to the deed that needs to be done. That’s life. 

“Karma is the highest form of Dharma”