The Walking Dead: Humanities Tough Decisions

*Note: There may or may not be spoilers for those who are not caught up in full on The Walking Dead. Also, there are some references to the comic book as well.

So, the world has gone to hell, you wake up every morning (if you even are able to sleep) without the certainty of surviving the day. There are millions of zombies ("walkers") all around you. You are basically in a survival of the fittest type of world only fighting to protect whats yours. Well, how does that effect you as a person. Someone who would normally go out of the way to help others and do whats right; what does being in the position cause your morals to do?

In AMC's The Walking Dead, The main "Anti-hero", Rick Grimes, a sheriff in his normal life, leads a group of survivors in this apocalyptic world. In the beginning of the series, Rick wakes from a coma to find the world nothing like it was. After learning his family is gone he sets out to find them. He eventually finds them settled in a small camp with other survivors. After an attack on the camp from the walkers. Rick and his best friend/partner, Shane, assume the leadership roles over the group. After noticing a major difference in the character Shane, Rick deems it necessary to kill him to prevent further harm to the group.

Through out the series, Rick and his fellow survivors are placed in many situations in which their moral integrity is tested. Whether or not to trust outsiders, whether or not people are safe to bring in to the group, and how to handle hostile groups, are just a few of the types of situations in which their character is tested. How does this apply to life in our life since we are not living in an "end-of-the-world" world?

Well, in our world we don't have zombies or a fallen government (that is a different topic), yet there are many times in which we are placed in a dog-eat-dog situation and we sometimes lack the moral integrity to bite our tongues. For instance, you may be in a shopping mall on Black Friday. You see the shirt that you have always wanted and its the last one and in your size. You then notice, someone eying the same shirt. You both make a break and you actually hurt the other person getting the shirt. You fought for what is yours, protecting it at all costs.

Many times in our world we become a Rick Grimes. We do what we think is best for us without remorse or even the slightest care for others. We tend to not trust people we don't know. The Walking Dead depicts our world in another fashion, yet, I argue that we are not so far off from where these fictitious are in terms of character. We are not exactly like them yet we all possess these qualities that make us cold people. Politicians are a great example of this. They tend to always do what they need too, to keep their position and protect their values. Not to mention all the underhanded deals with the devil they make.

By and large, no matter how we look at it, we are the Walking Dead

-Nicholas Furnish