Ethical dilemma essay - taboo to talk about money?

[skiing]

The wording of Duke's secondary seems to specifically ask for a life-changing experience when it asks for an ethical dilemma.

Would it be taboo to write about moral issues involved with handling money? I want to talk about a large inheritance I received - how I had to come to a decision to prioritize certain values over others; I ultimately end with discussing how this dilemma made me realize that influence cannot be measured by scalable achievements, that generosity has the same spirit in context of an individual as well as a larger-scale philanthropic endeavor, and as a doctor I would prioritize these things - living a life of generosity, using my skills without expectation of reciprocity, rather than quantifying success with scalable measurements, prioritizing the people-value of actions made by money and time.

I know I'll never be classified as URM anyway, so I thought there's no use in hiding it.

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[seahawks2013]

why not

 

[skiing]

I don't want to appear greedy by talking about how I had a pot of money and had a ethical problem related to it?

 

[ucsfstudents]

Sounds reasonable. You don't need to feel guilty about your inheritance. It's what you ultimately do with your life that matters most. Highlight the person behind the money.

 

[Verum]

how much money are we talking baout?

 

[LizzyM]

An ethical dilemma usually involves two (or more) choices of action that are a mix of good and bad. One in the news today was a lifeguard who left his assigned station to save a drowning man who was on an intentionally unguarded beach. By leaving his station, he put people in his area in jeopardy but he was on the scene to give aid to the man who needed assistance). The alternative would have been to stay in his assigned region to protect those in his care and accept that people who use the unguarded beach know and accept the risk of doing so, even if it meant serious injury or death for someone who took that risk.

A pretty typical one is being asked by a friend to keep a secret but the secret endangers the life or health of that friend (often a psychiatric problem, eating disorder, alcoholism, etc). Do you keep your word and jeopardize your friend's health or are you justified to break your promise in order to save your friend's life?

What were the choices you faced in dealing with a large inheritance? How did they create an ethical dilemma?

 

[alerk323]

sounds like the decision was between... being materialistic or selfless?

OP, do you need to talk about the inheritances to talk about all that other stuff? It sounds like it could be a compelling essay if done right, but it's pretty easy to be selfless and do the "right" thing when you have millions of dollars waiting for you in the bank.