To summarize a life's worth of work, he has committed himself to educating people on what it means to be a good human. In doing so, he asks some hard questions of his listeners. Here. See for yourself.
It isn't in this clip, but in the movie he references a moral conundrum that he likes to pose to people who attend his lectures. It goes something like this: You are walking on a path and you see that a little distance from where you are standing there is a small pond. In the pond a child is flailing about, clearly in danger of drowning. There is no one else around. What would you do? He said everyone said they'd save the child. Now, suppose that in this same scenario, you are wearing $200 shoes. The child is still drowning and without your help, the child will surely die. There is no physical risk to you, but in order to help, you will surely ruin your shoes. Would you still save the child? Of course, once again, people always answer yes. Forget the shoes, they say. A child's life is much more important. So then, he asks, how can you justify spending the money on the shoes in the first place when $200 would go a long way in medical aid and the like? If the money we spend on material items could be used to literally save the lives of people who are unable to help themselves, how can we justify our spending? I keep thinking it over and I can't come up with an answer that justifies my selfishness. So, that being said, I have decided to look for ways to help. I'm researching charities right now and looking for places where my money and my volunteerism will help people who cannot help themselves. Any ideas? I am open to anything, but I'd love something where me and my son could both get our hands dirty. He's five, so something related to children would probably prove the most beneficial for us both.
Also, as a side note, I've been toying with the idea of writing fan mail. I've never actually sent a letter of the sort, but I keep thinking about it. Being that he has inspired me to change my ways, I'm going to write a letter to Mr. Peter Singer himself. I'll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned!
