...it's rather like the good old philosophical question "if you had the chance to go back in time and prevent the rise of Nazi Germany would you?" Fact is that whilst the holocaust of WWII was quite possibly the biggest attrocity ever, it had such a big impact on the world as we know it that if things had been different, everything else that has happened since would not have occurred. I would not exist for example since my mother's family arrived in Britain having seen what was coming and got out of eastern Europe just in time. Now I'm not saying that I'm so special that I'm worth all those people being slaughtered, but I bet there are other people, and lots of them out there who just might be so important that without them the world today would not be as good as the one we know. Or perhaps just by complete fluke Hitler managed to get rid of someone who might have turned out to be worse than Hitler. You can never know. Anyway, getting back to donating blood, it's effectively the same thing. You give blood and you save lives. Are you prepared though to take the risk that the life you save might turn out to be a complete **** at best, or at worst a mass-murderer/genocidal maniac? You can never know. Just thought I'd give you something to think about.
But....to be fair.... You could also be saving the life of a person destined to cure cancer, or bring peace to the Middle East, or maybe even bring down George Dubya. It's a chance you take. Not to mention, if you just donated blood for a family member (who would refuse to help a family member in need?) you could very well be saving the life of an axe-murderer or a serial rapist....sometimes you just don't know.
That's the point though. It's total uncertainty. It's not a reason not to do it, it's just something to think about - it's supposed to be a mind fuck, a thought that will nag at you and not go away, it's not supposed to be an argument against donating blood!
It's my "job" to save lives, not to determine what the person goes on to do with their life. We all have freedom of choice, and I choose to save lives. Of course I hope that the recipient of my blood lives morally, but it's not for me to decide. If I knew I was giving to a future Hitler, would I? Now that's a tough choice, because I wouldn't want to be responsible for his death, but if I donate, and he kills people (as I knew he would) then I'm implicated. A catch 22.
I think the world war must happened, and people must learn from it... I'd like to give blood, but later. Currently I can't because of medicines.
Even though I can't give blood if want to all the med substance. Who if I did is no guarentee that I just by donating blood be responsible for the reciver. For to say how many Hospital Emergency Trauma Units use blood as a resort to save a trauma patient still having the blood into the patient, there is no way of knowing if they would live or die while in ER Trauma. I think a modern Hitler would be so 'prepared' that the dictator would has his own blood preserved in itself to not have to use unknown blood. rx
I don't like the idea of donating blood. I am turned off by it. I won't donate blood, I don't need an excuse. I won't donate to the Red Cross either cause they spend money on annoying advertisments telling me how I should be donating blood.
I think I read or heard or hallucinated somewhere that on the 9/11 attacks that of the mass numbers of people who donated blood, a lot of it was not able to be used because of the mass donations made a great number of those who did donate had HIV or othere STD's and the blood was no good. That would be one hell of a way to find out your HIV to donate to find out your sick later-
Meh, I will still donate blood as soon as I can, although that did make me think a little bit. Branching off of what Sax Machine said, it's arguable that the existance of people like Hitler was/is necessary for the world. So yeah, another thing to think about....
I donate @ 4 times a year b/c I have a very rare blood type. Anywho-I don't think about who I may or maynot save with the blood that I donate. I just think that if I am able-why not try to help someone?
I can't give blood, either, they won't take mine, haha, tried a few times. Want to, but guess I should lie on the form....anyone remember when u couldn't give blood if u'd had mono??
I had open-heart surgery while I was in high school & had to receive blood from some unknown donor who cared about the lives of others. I have donated blood 3 times but unable to do so anymore unless I lie on the forms that you need to fill out first.
