Personal Dilemma Paper

Personal Dilemma Paper

A dilemma is definitely something huge in someone's life that does cause major conflicts in knowing what is wrong and right. There are consequences of the actions of good and bad. "A dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between alternative courses of action or argument. Although citation of evidence attests to widespread use of the term meaning simply "problem" or "predicament" and involving no issue of choice, 58 percent of the Usage Panel in our 1999 survey rejected the sentence historically, race has been the great dilemma of democracy. It is sometimes claimed that because the di-in dilemma comes from a Greek prefix meaning "two", the word should be used only when exactly two choices are involved. Nevertheless, sixty four percent of the Usage Panel in our 1988 survey accepted its use for choices among three or more options." (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dilemma).

One dilemma that I recall, highly well during my high school years was in 1989. One of my really good friends was addicted to cocaine, which I did not have a clue about and learned the hard way. One day, while we were at school, we went into the bathroom together, me not thinking anything about it. She brung to school some cocaine, in which she hid it in her makeup case. I told her I didn't want anything to do with it and she should flush it down the toilet. I told her she needed to stop before she messed up she had going for her in her life. I knew drugs were involved in her home life as well and it was very difficult for her, as the rest of her family was all involved with drugs as well. In the meantime, another friend of ours came in and saw it as well, which in turn, told that we were both in the bathroom doing the drug, which wasn't true at all. I was quickly called to the counselor's office as soon as the bell rang. The counselor told me that I couldn't prove that I was just with my friend, that I was permanently being expelled from school and had to go to the school they had for troubled kids, if I wanted to stay in school. Even though I told her my side of the story, she would not believe me at all. She took me home herself and talked to my parents and told them her version of what happened. Since that day I never really hung around anyone that I really didn't know about because I learned that whatever they do will reflect on yourself and get you into trouble as well as them.

I have always preached to my children about choosing their friends wisely because whatever they do wrong, they will have consequences for them as well. I always used the example of, if one of their friends was in a car or just walking with them and had drugs on them, they would also be involved in it also. My daughter has listened to my advice well, but on the other hand, my son has not. He is still learning the hard way, like I did. He has a major problem in the area of choosing his friends wisely. I know that usually whatever the kids friends are doing to get into trouble, the kid is also. But in some instances, that is not always true, as in my personal experience.

Although I was trying to help my friend in this dilemma, I also got myself into trouble with her, at a high cost of being expelled from school and all the humility it brung me. I should have used my first instinct and just walked out of the bathroom instead. People have to first want to help themselves or it is not worth the fact of risking getting yourself into trouble as well as themselves.