1.) Is it more important to be a good person or to perform good acts?

              To me I think it’s important to have both. You can be a good person, where you don’t cause harm to other individuals in terms of physical or emotional stress. You can also be a good person by having ideas where you could benefit another person’s well-being or emotional state.  Then again you can perform good acts by taking the next step; for example taking the extra time to recycle or helping out a less fortunate individual by supplying them with food or warm clothing.  To me personally I believe it’s most important to be a good person all the while performing good acts.  It’s one thing to agree with ideas like community service and then another thing to perform community service.  To me community service is just one outlet where a good person can go to perform good acts.

5.) Do the pleasure and pain of non-human animals matter as much as the pleasure and pain of humans?

              To be able to answer this question, I first must explain my background.  My whole developing life I have lived on a 560 acre Beef farm in Wellsboro, PA.  I’ve grown up around animals, taking care of them daily knowing they are only headed for the butcher shop.  I understand that farming is a business and we have a business like relationship with our beef cattle.  Their safety and well-being is paramount, because a farm doesn’t make it into its fourth generation without taking care of its animals.  Now there is a mentality I think old time farmers have. (This particular example is related to horses.)  If a horse breaks an ankle, or becomes lame somehow, the farmer no longer can use this animal, nor do they have the finances to have an expert fix the ankle, coupled with rehabilitation it could be months before this animal is ready to walk let alone work again.  The old way has always been tough love, meaning it’s time to find a replacement in that situation.  But now that I am older and have a young horse of my own, who I have bonded with significantly I cannot say I can do the same thing my father has done.  I understand this horses fear, and pain.  I know it has a long life ahead of it regardless if the animal was hurt or not, it deserves that much.  So I do agree with the question non-human animal’s pain and pleasure do matter as much.  But farming is a business so if these animals are putting you in a situation where you can no longer afford the cost the old way takes over. 

6.) Is my own life worth more than the lives of others, the same, or less?

              I have thought of this question many times before this class.  I have run scenarios in my head about this question.  In certain situations my life or the lives of my loved ones for sure are more important than the lives of others.  If someone is threating the lives of my family, this strangers’ life becomes forfeit because they made the choice to attack my family.  Now it’s hard to say what I would do alone and witnessing someone else having a life threating moment.  I want to say I would do the right thing and help this person because their life is significant, but when you actually find yourself in that situation you could have a change of heart. The fight or flight response takes over from there.   Most people would say they would help the stranger if they felt their own safety would stay rather intact, basically wasn’t life threating to them.  But being able to put your own life for the life of another is extremely rare and takes a very courageous and selfless person.  I have the utmost respect for our service men and women around this globe.