Case of the Spelunkers : No Excuse for Murder
No matter what the situation might be, taking away a person’s life is simply immoral, and it deserves the maximum penalty possible. Four best friends who are originally planning to go mountain climbing decide to go cave exploring. These men end up trapped in the cave with limited food, which bring about the idea of sacrificing one of them to save the others. Four and a half weeks later, the three are saved but immediately face public outrage regarding the murder. This essay will discuss the spelunkers’ decisions that lead to sacrificing a friend. This essay will analyze the backgrounds of the spelunkers and the situations in which the spelunkers are trapped in, and as a result, choosing to murder. Although their focus is solely on survival, they should face the consequences of their action.
The spelunkers made a series of decisions together, leading to the final decision of killing to escape what was supposed to be group responsibilities. First, they decided to change their plans from mountain climbing to cave exploring. (Lawhorne, 2014, para. 2). Although they heard the loud cracking sound in the distance, they still explored further instead of immediately going back (Lawhorne, 2014, para. 3-4). Seeing how it took five and a half weeks for them to be rescued, it is safe to say that they did not notify anyone about the change of plans. (Lawhorne, 2014, para. 7-9). Up to this point, all of these were decided together.
Certainly, the fact that they were trapped in the cave was an unexpected incident. However, it was not a price that only one person should pay. Everyone contributed something. Their last options were either taking the responsibility together, or “dumping” it all on someone, namely Paul. They chose to save themselves and betrayed Paul. Just like the previous impulsive choices they made….Show More Content….