A Moral Dilemma to be Addressed

​Dear Readers,

Below is a brief essay contest.  The submissions are due by Sunday, September 8th, 2019.

The prize is $10.00 to be donated in your name to your favorite charity.

As ethical concerns should be of interest to all Quakers, here follows a description of the essay request:

On Sunday, August 18, 2019, our Meeting faced a moral dilemma.  In 500 words or less, propose a better solution than that which was experienced.

The situation involved the Meeting being held outdoors, on the lawn, with no shade.  Chairs were arranged in a circle.  At times it was overcast.  At other times it was more sunny and it was always very hot.  Perhaps a third of the way or so into the Meeting one woman went to her car and came back with four umbrellas.  She took one herself and gave another to her partner.
She then put  the other two flat on the ground in the center of the circle.  

Finally, after several minutes, someone picked up one of the other two umbrellas laying on the ground and gave it to the most senior member of the circle of about 26 people, which included a wide variety of ages, down to a very young infant.

Here's the moral dilemma.  For perhaps the final half hour, the last umbrella remained on the ground in the center of the circle when it clearly could have brought welcome shade to any of the members of the circle.  If such inaction by Meeting members was not the best approach in this situation, what would have been better?  Was the constraint of silence an inhibiter to a better response to the situation?  Is caring for the well being of all a drawback sufficient to prevent caring for any one in this case?

I look forward to your written responses.

Don Lathrop

Post your comments below.