Are there any circumstances under which you could take a life?

Question

Excluding War, of course, when they give away medals for it......

Your excellent replies show me that we are almost all capable of killing another human being, given
the right provocation.
Perhaps its good then that in UK we don't have so many Guns available as they do in the States.....

Answer 1

If I were going to be killed I would do my best to kill my attacker first. If someone threatened to kill my my family and actually meant it absolutely! I wouldn't be able to kill out in cold blood, only if threatened.

Answer 2

Searching deep within myself, I must admit that there are times when people so annoy me, I could almost kill them. My latest is someone driving a black-windowed car with a shattering music system which almost blasts out the windows of the buildings it passes. This mindless idiot will do this at two a.m., mindlessly driving around, not even considering that he awakens babies, insomniacs or ordinary people. At that moment, I go out onto my balcony and, if I could find it in time, would happily throw a big flower-pot down on the car.
The other kind I might kill is a drunk driver, with no license, who kills a child or a person.

Answer 3

Self defence - which includes the defence of family and of those under my care. However, it doesn't include the defence of a belief or principle. I don't know whether I would kill for the nation, either, especially if the "nation" is not under direct attack.

Your question is vague. It seems that you imply "human life" but the way you have worded, the question includes all life. I am not a vegetarian. So, albeit indirectly, I am condoning taking of a life. As I can exist as a vegetarian, I cannot rationalise it as self defence.

Those who are against violence must also be against any violence committed in their name. Otherwise, their stance is hypocritical.

Answer 4

It is said "All is fair in love and war". The definition of War is "any armed conflict." This means whether it is one on one, or a feud, this is all war. The misconception is the fact that everyone forgets that you do not need to be a country with a UN approval to be at war. In a case of self defense it is acceptable, but will you be able to live with knowing you took a life? Regardless, it will bother you if you are human.

Answer 5

I suppose the asker intends, "Can you premeditate taking a life in a given circumstance?"

I must say the answer better be contemplated not in terms of I can or I can't, but rather I should or I shouldn't, i.e., I should or shouldn't premeditate taking a life in a given circumstance.

Aforementioned circumstances (defending family or people or self) triggers fight-or-flight response that might lead to death of the threatening person, which in turn leads to regret for having taken a life. It would have been better off if I only had disarmed and disabled him.

I could take a life, but should I.

Answer 6

Defense of home and family.

I play this game "Counterstrike Source" which allows you to either be a terrorist or a counter-terrorist. I find that even in the game I feel wrong to shoot the good guys. But I have no qualms about shooting the terrorists to keep them from planting a bomb or to free the hostages.

I have no doubt that if necessary I could take a life. I wouldn't WANT to, but there is a time to defend, and you bet I'd do it.

Best Wishes,

Sue

Answer 7

,the easy answer would be no, thats not my job only gods but it would be a lie. i would take another life if it meant protecting those i love. ever since i became a mother my feelings have changed. this is probably a little too much info... but one thing that puts the most angering, burning, sickening, (almost scary) feeling in my body, that i just know i would NOT even blink to pull the trigger would be if someone ever sexually abused my child (that is one thing that i can not handle and would not mind rotting away in prison for). this all happened after i gave birth and felt it was my duty as a mother to protect.

Answer 8

I used to think that murder was impossible and I could not see how one could do that to another person. I felt that I would or could never do it. I still feel that way, but now I can see why people kill other people, now that I am married. There have been times where I have been so angry to thought of wanting to fuckin' kill him and strangle him to death but I have had to control myself and realize that I needed to ignore those feelings and realize that I would never and could never do it. I have watched this show on TV; it was called "The Most Evil"--It was about all the famous serial killers and rapists and what makes them do what they do and what distinguishes them from other people. It was interesting. They said that it is normal for us to have the feeling of wanting to kill but once we get to that point, we have certain things happen in our brain that signals us to calm down and not do it. Like our brain says"warning stop no" and we logically know that we can't do it. But I guess that almost evry famous serial killer has something wrong in the part of the brain that sends those signals. If you ever feel like killing, do not do it. What if someone got really mad at your child for something and killed them, would you wish they had not killed your child, regardless of what your child had done? Of course. It would not only affect your child, it would affect everyone that cared for that person. If you want to kill someone, remember that they are someone's child, maybe someone's parent, someone's friend. Let it go. What you reap is what you sow, they will get their's but do not give it to them yourself. If you kill for the protection of another, and then are sent to jail, who will protect them the next time??!! Do everything else, but be smart about it people.(people who said they would kill for protection)

Answer 9

Yes, if it was someone threatening the life of my child, mother, or father, and the only thing to do to save them, would be killing the person.

I believe everyone would kill in those circumstances, and would not think twice.

Answer 10

Why even excluding war? The medals don't entice me enough to kill, to be perfectly honest. The only way I'd be able to commit murder would be if I knew more people would die if I didn't, and even then, it'd be tough.

Answer 11

Your driving a bus full of the people you love and respect down a winding mountain road steep cliffs on both sides and who jumps in front with no room to stop, O.J. any more silly questions.