Cats, Lemonade Stands, and Our Morals
Congratulations to recent retirees and my senior friends K&K and M&M in America and India! Here is a delicate thought experiment about something ordinary to engage them and anyone else in these extraordinary times.
You have heard of the trolley problem, a thought experiment on ethics and psychology. The question is simple though the answer is not: If you had the power, would you pull the lever to force the runaway trolley to change the tracks and kill only one instead of the five toward whom it is barreling down? The problem is deadly serious and that is the last thing anyone needs to contemplate in this pandemic. You need a gentler alternative to ponder on your walk now that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is behind us.
Often you see cats on walks. About half the cats make it clear that they have no interest in you and they don’t want to be bothered. They look away or stand aloof twitching their tails. Of the remaining cats, about half would like to be petted but they are too timid. The rest are delicate kitties who have been waiting there for a passerby and approach delightfully with a beautiful meow. Their hope is that you caress them gently and that they in turn can thank you by rubbing their wet nose against you.
When on a walk in the summer, often you see children’s lemonade stands. If you are not familiar, it is where children sell lemonade on a hot day, for a price. Sometimes, the children are older and they understand the workings of capitalism. They set up the stand at an intersection that is difficult to miss and put into practice what they have already learnt. There is a big sign that says the first lemonade is three quarters; if you buy two, however, it will cost you only a dollar total! The cups are small and are already filled fashionably to only about a half. Other times, you find a lemonade stand outside a home on a desolate street. Somewhere in the vicinity of the stand is a child rubbing their eyes. The child has been waiting there forever, gleeful at the sight of you as you turn the corner. LemNode for 50 cents, a sign reads. If one asks for a cup, some lemonade goes in the cup but most on the ground.
You are walking down a quiet street and see a cat at a distance making its way toward you. On the street to the left is a young child standing by a LemNode stand, visibly excited on sighting you. There is nothing on the third street to the right. Do you change tracks? If someone in your spot changed tracks, what would you think of them? The questions are fraught with moral complications and more. Happy contemplation!
A bit about me
Once when on a run, I came up on a lemonade stand and I had no money! Imagine my horror. I promised the child I would be back in about 15 minutes. I ran home and found no money anywhere, thanks to the pandemic. I was renting at the time. Thinking quickly, I raided the owner’s jar for the quarters I needed and ran back to the stand for my lemonade. I had no feelings of guilt.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
If you wish to be included in the mailing list to receive VijayViolet writings as they are published, please email vijayviolet2020@gmail.com with Subscribe in the subject line. To unsubscribe, write mail with Unsubscribe in the subject line. There will be no unwanted mails. Your email will not be distributed.
