Sunday, February 8, 2009

Food for Thought: Dorian Gray

If you could do something without getting caught, would you?

Explain your thoughts, including what you would or would not do in a paragraph comment to this post.  Enjoy!

32 comments:

shellim2009 said...

Oh totally. If I didn't get caught, or rather, couldn't get caught, I think it would be very fun to try and be sneaky. I might steal something small like a candy bar or gum. Or I would try and sneak into a VIP place where I could be unique. I wouldn't ever steal anything big or dangerous to my health or life, but I think I might be a rush to do something dangerous. Not that I'm ever going to try either, because I would be WAY to chicken to do that. Besides, I know that it is wrong to steal, I just think it would be funny to pull pranks on people if I couuldn't get caught, like if I were invisible or something. If I were invisible, I would maybe rob something bigger like a friends home, or a bank, but give the stuff back to the friend... maybe. :)

Lauren L said...

I would do something if I knew I would not get caught doing it. The only reason people choose not to do something is the fear of being caught or because of the severity of consequences. I do things right now in life that I know I could get in trouble for but because I have not gotten caught for those things I still procceed to do them. Looking over at schwein I would consider killing and severe life sentencing crimes out of the question because I would never put myself in a situation which would force me to murder. There are many exceptions to this question but minor things I would do if I knew I would not get caught.

Anna P2009 said...

If there was no chance of me getting caught, yes I would do it. I don't exactly know what I would do because I would have to narrow down all of my ideas but I think that it would include a heist of some sort. Instead of just getting in trouble with your parents for something small I would like to get away with something pretty major that means that I beat the law! :)I think my heist would be a robbery of sorts. Maybe not from a bank or casino but some huge star that doesn't need all of that money and puts their money to waste.

LaurenB2009 said...

Most things in life I wouldn't try even if I wouldn’t get caught. Anything that requires punishment for doing usually isn’t a good thing to do in the first place. Therefore I feel like any of those things wouldn’t benefit my life any. However there are always those stupid things in life that I have always wanted to try. Like going 200mph down a highway or attempting to rob a bank. Silly childhood dreams which will probably never come true would always be fun to try as long as no one else gets hurt and there are no consequences. I do like the life I have now and I don’t feel like breaking any laws or getting away with a crime will make my life any better.

TaylorS2009 said...

I would absolutely do something if I wouldn't get caught, if it was something that I wanted to do. But, I think most people would do that anyways. It's taking advantage of the current situation in my opinion. Also, there are a few things that I think are perfectly fine that should be allowed, but they aren't. So I personally see nothing wrong in doing them. This could go for anyone, there are the people that jaywalk for example because the intersection is completely empty. It's the exact same thing.

Rick Maestas said...

If I could do something without getting caught, I would definitely do it. There are many things I still do even with the danger of being caught. Hypothetically, if I knew someone, a friend of mine, that had spent a Saturday night interrupting traffic in Highlands Ranch by dragging Christmas trees out of the community dump site onto the street, then he would have spent more than a half hour doing it. Without the danger of being caught, my friend would have had more fun that night. In another instance with the same hypothetical friend over holiday break, he spent a Friday night re-arranging lawn decorations. Without the danger of being caught, this friend would have been able to make more comical displays with the decorations.

Wilberry09 said...

There is a fine line in that of love and hate, but to commit an efficacious act of beauty with no regard as to getting caught, I would most certainly commit this act in a manner not for myself but for the betterment of the one whom I commit the act for. Imagine yourself meandering down the path to school one day, you see a car just smothered in perfect marshmallow snow. Would you consider wiping the snow off this person's car for the sake of well-being, and how might the person react if they caught you wiping the snow off? There is a point in time when one must realize that to undergo a change is to re-invent oneself. In order to truly understand oneself, they must practice these acts of kindness and not merely expect a reward, but to know that something will come their way. As a student of Arapahoe High School, i understand that it is quite difficult to think of others respectively and to consider doing something selfless in order to help one another just from the goodness of one's heart, getting caught is another story. :]

KatieM2009 said...

Would you do something if you knew you were not getting caught? That depends on what that something is. As teenagers, yes the majority of us have done things because we know (or at least think we know) that we are not going to get caught. Some of us have gone to parties, spent the night places where we were not supposed to, or taken the car because we knew that we would not get in trouble. That type of activities yes, I would do things like that if I knew I was not going to get caught. At the same time I do not have to worry about “getting caught” because my parents trust me and basically let me make my own choices because I am a legal adult. On the other hand, I would not commit a felony offense or a crime of that manner, even if I was 100% sure that I would not get caught because that would be morally wrong and I would not be able to live with myself as a person.

Anonymous said...

The "something" that is referred to in this post is pretty vague and broad. Depending on what that something was (i.e. illegal, went against my morals, etc), I would have to say that I would do it if I was positive that I would not be caught.
That being said, like I stated earlier, it would all depend on what the action was. If I could kill someone and not get caught, I still wouldn't do that because it goes against my morals. Now if I could sneak into an amusement park late at night and not get caught, that is a different story. I don't think that it would cause any harm, unlike murdering someone, nor is it an unjust action.
The answers to this question are going to vary from person to person because everyone has their own set of morals and beliefs on what is right and wrong. I'm not saying that anyone in this class would murder someone, but it all depends on their personal interpretation of this question.

KendraS2009 said...

For me, it would depend on what I was doing wrong. I would never steal or kill anyone because I know that is so morally wrong to me that I could not live knowing I had done that, even if I did not receive any sort of punishment. Also, I try to live a good life with or without punishments. I am not a bad kid and I don’t normally do bad things. I would never even be tempted to murder someone because to me murder is the greatest wrong you could do. I would however do some minor stuff knowing that I would never get caught.

Mackenzie said...

For me, it depends on what it was. I would never be able to go into a store and steal something, but I would definately cut to the front of the lines at Disneyland or something small that would be fun. I think that I would have a hard time doing something that I know would normally have repercussions. I think that punishments and consequences are there for a reason, if we could do whatever we wanted without getting caught people would eventually get hurt because you would be acting selfishly without any thought to how your actions would be affecting other people.

BrittneyW said...

If I could do something without getting caught, I probably would depending on the circumstance. For example, I would never steal because I would be afraid that I would get caught or not. But if I was to like sneak into a pool or something after hours, I would for sure do it if I knew I would not get caught. I guess it depends on the circumstance, but as long as it is not harming anyone or against my morals, I would do something if I knew I would not get caught.

TomB said...

Hmm...such a moral dilemma. I would like to think that i wouldn't do something, such as lying or stealing, even if i wouldn't run the risk of getting caught. so my reason says that i wouldn't, but when the prospect of something so thrilling, so beneficial to you is placed right before you, you will still entertain the notion, even if you don't act on it. Hard choices such as this sound cut and dry most of the time, but they can be far more complex than just what is right and wrong.

Jordan Senior said...

As much as I would love to say no to this question, I can't say it would entirely be true. In a sense, everyone does stuff without getting caught, such as being on the internet during class rather than paying attention. The point where you draw the line is about morals, what would be okay to do without being caught, steal a package of candy from a store? murder? I wouldn't mind doing something without getting caught such as speeding or failing to use a turn signal, because these are things that happen every day. However, I would never, even if I weren't going to get caught, kill someone. I would like to think that my wrongdoings are harmless, that nobody is going to get hurt from me speeding, not using a turn signal or having a water bottle in class, but ultimately that is something I cannot decide. I think that we all base our morals around how much we percieve our actions to affect the lives of other people. Something that so simple and almost automatic for people to do, such as speeding, is easily percieved as only affecting oneself, for if you get caught, you recieve a ticket, its your deal and nobody elses. But when you realize that you could potentially cause a fatal accident, something that seemed harmless suddenly contains great magnitude.

mollyp2010 said...

Yes, I think I would. If there was something that I really, really wanted to do, but under normal circumstances I wouldnt be able to, if I knew I wouldn't get caught I think I definitely would. What would I do? Well, if I knew that there were no cops anywhere, I'm pretty sure I would speed like crazy. This might not be a good thing, but I like driving fast. Also, I would probably ditch school every once in a while and just enjoy the day with some friends. These seem like kind of small things, but I can't think of anything more grand right now.

DrewB2009 said...

Everyone has done things before that they haven’t been caught doing. I think this is a hard question to answer because it kind of depends on what it is you won’t be caught doing. Most of the time when I do something and don’t get caught, I feel guilty for doing it and that’s kind of punishment in itself. My parents trust me a lot which makes me feel even more guilty when I do things without being caught. I would say that in most situations I would not do something just because I wouldn’t get caught, but that doesn’t mean I never would. If it wasn’t for feeling guilty I woud always do things if I knew I wouldn’t get caught. Plus, karma sucks.

KatieO2010 said...

If i could do anything and not get caught, I would do it. what I would do I’m not sure, I wouldn’t rob a house or steal a car. I wouldn’t kill anyone. But if I were given the opportunity, and the knowledge that I could not be judged by my actions, there are a few things I might chance. I might tell someone just how much I dislike them if I knew they wouldn’t rat me out. I might get together some money and just leave. I guess it would depend on how much I could do without being caught, and what the consequences would be. If I only got one chance, I would save it for the perfect crime, so to speak. If I got limitless luck in this aspect, no doubt things would get out of hand.

Unknown said...

If I could do something without getting caught I would probably do it. Depending on the how bad the situation is it would differ. If it was I knew I would not get caught speeding then I would have to say that I would be one to speed. My parents have told me what is right and what is wrong and even if someone is not watching, those rules still exist.

Steven W said...

I honestly wouldn't be able to live with myself after the fact if my actions hurt someone else. Obviously I wouldn't mind not getting caught when I did something wrong to avoid the punishment and the embarassment, but I also think that people can learn from their mistakes and learn how to pick themselve up and keep going. If I were to go through the majority of my life mistake free and without ever being critized for something when I actually made a mistake I wouldn't know how to deal with it simply because I never had to in the past. In the Pausch lecture the quotation about when people stop helping you by showing things that you can improve on then they have given up. Pausch's quotation just really connects to my belief that it is our mistakes and things that we learn from them that define us as a person not simply how we act toward other people.

SaraB2009 said...

Yes I would, I think everyone needs a little adventure in their life and sometimes breaking the rules is just that. I would never do something to intense like robbing a bank or committing murder. I would do something along the lines of skiing out of bounds and not getting my pass taken away, because sometimes out of bounds is the best place to ski, and following the rules is not fun. I think that simple things are enough of an adrenaline rush and you still feel like rebel for doing it, and in this situation, the best part is that you won’t get caught, and I am not hurting anyone for my actions.

kaytlinr said...
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HaileyM2009 said...
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AdrienneB2009 said...

I would not do anything (bad?) even if I could not get caught because I tend to overthink things and I would be tooparanoid that I would get caught. A guilty conscience is something I am unable to function with. Psychologically, it would drive me crazy. In the case that my inhabitions are impaired, maybe I could go through with doing something but I'm too paranoid to do anything that would put me in that state. I'm a terrible liar and almost literally cannot lie so even if I did do something, I'd probably confess to it later. My moral censor would most likely stop me in most situations including one where I would not get caught.

SarahE2010 said...

I would definitely do something if I could get away with it. There are aspects to life that I am refrained from experiencing because of the reputation people have given me. If I could do things without getting caught I would because I would avoid all of the ridicule and judgment from people. It is annoying to constantly be judged by my peers. If I could do anything I wanted to, I would watch my favorite Disney movie without people criticizing me for acting young. I would also runaway with some of my best friends for the weekend, and just have one of those weekends that I will remember when I’m 50. I would do whatever I wanted to do without worrying what people though…because they would not know.

Unknown said...

No. I don’t do bad things, not because I’m afraid of the consequences, but because I am morally objected to them. Now here’s the kicker: What’s bad? To me, it’s a mindset. For example, my parents are very laid back and we have a VERY trusting relationship. They know that I would NEVER go out and get drunk or anything like that. With that in mind, they let me have beer or whatever when it’s legal (when we were in Kenya, etc.) and the only reason they don’t let me here is because we respect the laws that have been put before us. Now if I did something like that without their permission and they didn’t find out, I have still gotten caught because I know that if they ever did find out I would have betrayed this deep rooted trust that we have. So from that point on I have to hide that story. It’s a lose-lose situation.

KaitlanW2009 said...

If I could do something without getting caught, I probably wouldn't do it; that is if it were something I was not supposed to do. The reason I wouldn't is because I have such a heavy conscience; whether I would be caught or not isn't what I worry about when I do things I know I shouldn't. I feel guilt for it for days and usually end up fessing up to it anyway. Therefore even if I could do something without being caught, I wouldn't do it.

Kim C. 2010 said...

There are alot of things that I would do as long as I didn't get caught, but most of them I would do even if I could get caught. Anything worth doing has to be worth a risk, and if there is no risk whose to say it is beneficiary to you when there was no risk involved. If the question is asking if I would do something immoral according to this society's view of morals, I would say no. I don't think that most things immoral to this country are worth attempting. Honestly I think that where morals and laws collide is where I might make a decision to break a law in order to perhaps save a life, or help someone in desperate need.

however, if you are refering to something of a greedy nature, once again I wouldn't do it because although others wouldn't know of it I would sink into madness, because I had to keep such a deep secret and I would have to hold in all the regret. I am a strong person but I couldn't hold all of that nor is it worth it.

Pat said...

I know it is unethical to say you would cheat the system if you could without getting caught but I think many people would have to say they would. I know I would but I wouldn’t do anything to hurt someone else or anything too evil. If I was at a stop light and I had the no walk sign but there were no cars in sight for ten miles I would probably walk across. I think there are many incidences where you would break the law because sometimes the law is set up for a general cause and can be broken without hurting the purpose of the law.

JakeF said...

I believe that I would do something if I knew that I wasn’t going to get caught. First off because maybe it’s not even something bad, maybe it’s only bad in some eyes. Which what isn’t bad then? People have different takes on a lot of things, one thing can be ok with one person but not another. So in that aspect the thing that I would probably be doing would be ok in my eyes and I wouldn’t have the worry about being caught. Now there are things like the law and things that are morally wrong, so what do we do in those situations? Well to be honest I pretty much speed everywhere I go. I would say that I’m a safe driver; however I do exceed the limit. This is wrong in a view point of the society, but yet I still do it. Going off this I would have to tell you that I would do something if I wasn’t going to get caught. Being the person I think I would only do it to an extent that I thought was ok on a personal level; which to me wouldn’t be past a lot of other peoples standards either.

JakeF said...

I believe that I would do something if I knew that I wasn’t going to get caught. First off because maybe it’s not even something bad, maybe it’s only bad in some eyes. Which what isn’t bad then? People have different takes on a lot of things, one thing can be ok with one person but not another. So in that aspect the thing that I would probably be doing would be ok in my eyes and I wouldn’t have the worry about being caught. Now there are things like the law and things that are morally wrong, so what do we do in those situations? Well to be honest I pretty much speed everywhere I go. I would say that I’m a safe driver; however I do exceed the limit. This is wrong in a view point of the society, but yet I still do it. Going off this I would have to tell you that I would do something if I wasn’t going to get caught. Being the person I think I would only do it to an extent that I thought was ok on a personal level; which to me wouldn’t be past a lot of other peoples standards either.

kaytlinr said...

I think that it would depend on the situation. I agree with what other people have said, breaking little rules wouldn't bother me. But, things that might put other's in danger would bother me, and I wouldn't do it. Mostly because I couldn't live with myself if something went wrong.

HaileyM2009 said...

While there are many times I would prefer certain things went unnoticed (to save myself from embarrassment?), there is not anything I would really want to do without getting caught. I am not craving rebellion or anything along those lines; I do what I want and it generally remains acceptable in the eyes of our community and even my parents. Things that wouldn't be acceptable are generally unappealing to me. However, there are those rules that are really annoying or stupid that deserve to be broken. I think the only rules I would always want to follow are the rules subconsciously (or consciously) created by my morals. All the rest I would gladly break if there were no consequences. Especially social rules—those were made for me to break!
However, if I could do anything without getting caught it would probably be quitting yearbook. So rebellious, right? But it is true! However, quitting is not an option as the book would have difficulties getting finished without me there and I would be letting down my entire staff, my co-editor, Alli, and my adviser.