Should people in survival situations be held accountable for their actions? The answer to that question is not direct, should you be responsible for yourself in a life or death situation or not? It all depends on the circumstance. Louis Zamperini was a World War Two solider who was stranded on a lifeboat with two other men, they survived 47 days at sea, although one of the soldiers succumbed to the elements and could not hold on long enough to reach land. 14 days after he passed, they reached land, where Japanese authorities brought them to an island named Execution Island. After two years of surviving in multiple P.O.W camps, Louis was sent home to live his life. Louis was thrust into a situation that he had no control over, so therefore …show more content…
Let’s think about the Donner Party, a group of emigrants who were traveling from Springfield, Illinois to California. They started their journey in April 1846, following the California Trail until Wyoming, where 89 of the party took a shortcut that was said to shave two weeks off of the journey. The rough terrain of the Wasatch Mountains was tough on their wagons so they stopped to make repairs and rest the animals. Snowfall approached and trapped them within the Sierra Nevada mountains, they shortly ran out of food and water and turned to eating their pack animals, sticks, and dirt. When one member of the party perished of malnutrition they resorted to cannibalism. They were trapped for 5 months and when a rescue party came for them only 45 of the 89 were left. As you can see, it is very difficult to do the right thing in life or death situations. These people were just trying to survive. Would you punish them for their actions? Lastly, let us consider the recent shooting in Las Vegas, where one man killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. If you were one of the concert goers and you had a chance to kill the shooter would you? You would have saved many from the hands of death and many more from the devastation of having a loved one injured or even worse, killed. Would the government punish you for saving lives by ending one? As