Discussion #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion #3 - Essay Example However, on this particular occasion, it was cold and windy and as my partner – my supervisor on this occasion - and I combed through alleys, we came across an old man who was being held at gun point by a young male. We soon discovered that the point of dispute was an oilskin bag that the old man carried which was bulging with dollar notes. The young male was demanding that the bag be handed over. My superior officer intervened and ordered the young man to step back, but it turned out he had a gun and tried to shoot him. In the ensuing conflict, my superior officer shot the young man and killed him. The old man was effusive in his gratitude and rose, clutching the bag to his chest. That’s when I received a shock. My superior urged me to kill the old man so we could snatch the money and divide it among us. He had exhausted his own bullets on the young man and therefore ordered me to do it. I flatly refused, since it was my duty to rescue the victims, not shoot them because of sudden, overpowering greed, which had obviously overcome my superior officer. This was the first time I deliberately disobeyed an order and it led to a hands on battle between my supervisor and myself with him trying to grab my gun from me. I yelled at the old man to run away and suffered through a severe beating from my officer which left me half dead. I later brought charges against my superior officer before a military tribunal. I became a man that day, when I had to truly face up to what my own values were in a situation where I could have possibly escaped and gotten away with killing the old man and dividing the loot with my supervising officer. However, the fact that it was ethically and morally wrong to steal the property of another was one consideration which restrained me. Another was the fact that it seemed morally very wrong to attempt profit during a time of calamity, when the old man