SATe3

Everybody knows about the self-sacrificing services of Nightingale and Mother Teresa. They were examples of people who chose to listen to their own consciences and give up their money, power, and fame. They were humble when they became famous and died helping others. However, are they part of the majority? No, the majority of the people are driven by selfish motives. Those who are able abstain from selfishness and choose their consciences are exemplars of great people.

There was once an experiment conducted in America during the Great Depression. Pedestrians were offered a hefty sum of money to press a button whenever the student in the opposite room got a question wrong (they were given the explanation that this experiment was to test if students learned better when punishment is given whenever they put an incorrect answer). Every time they press the button the voltage would go up resulting in greater pain. The experiment was to find out the limit of inhumane acts which people would do for money.

Prior to the test, the people were surveyed with the question, “if somebody asks you to do something inhumane to somebody else, whether that be someone you know or not, would you do it?” Ninety-five percent of the people surveyed answered no. However when the experiment was conducted, sixty-five percent of the participants pressed the button even when it reached 600Vs and even though the student in the opposite room was screaming with excruciating pain (he of course, was acting).

This is an amazing contrast between what people say and actually do. It is amazing that for money they could press that button, which would undoubtedly give immense pain for the student. Money can certainly make people into beings no better than an animal. As this experiment can show the majority is driven by selfish motives and allows them to conduct such inhumane acts.