The floorboards creaked as I crossed into the kitchen, heading towards the forbidden cupboard. My footsteps thundered. I eased myself down into a squat and grabbed the handle. Slowly now. The hinges shrieked like banshees. My parents had left already. I knew this. Yet, I could not seem to shake the feeling that someone watched me from the shadows of the room. In one smooth motion, I unscrewed the lid from the M&M container and dumped some of the candies into my bowl. The jar scraped against the shelf as I shoved it ungracefully back into its proper position. After watching the cupboard close with a soft nudge from my foot, I was home free. The warmth of colorful chocolate on my tongue felt almost as amazing as my relief.
Although I had sometimes stolen M&M’s with my parents home, albeit distracted, most of the time I waited until they needed to leave. Great opportunities included my youngest brother’s frequent baseball games, date night, or when they acted as taxi drivers to either of my siblings. This was not a singular occurrence, either. With no one around to hold me accountable, I took advantage. The temptation of that sweet cocoa took over all of my inhibitions, so I tip-toed over to the cabinet. When no one saw, I could say—think, even—that it never happened. Consequences vanish; pleasure remains.
Accountability can make the difference between an ethical decision and a selfish one. At 5:00 p.m. on October 14th of this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth enacted a new rule regarding media presence in the Pentagon. Journalists, asked to sign a pledge confirming that they would only publish information that the Defense Department had approved, protested. Only one major news source, One American News, chose to comply; the rest of the press was sent packing. With the signing of this policy, the deluge of temptation breached a crucial levy. Americans will not know about critical decisions the Pentagon institutes. Without the people of the United States to hold the Pentagon responsible, the M&M jar can feel far too tempting. Sometimes only accountability has the strength to stop our unconscious desires.
In the same way, our moral values can greatly affect our decisions. When Hegseth made his announcement, virtually every news source in the United States made one as well. They would not comply with what they saw as a threat to their freedom. Press from both ends of the political spectrum, from Fox News to The New York Times, agreed to protest. Previous clashes and biases, all swept away on a torrent as journalists returned their press badges and marched out of the Pentagon. United under a common value, freedom of speech, they made a collective decision to stand up for what they saw as right.
I knew my parents had left that night. My worry focused on something much deeper. The feelings I had while unscrewing that lid revealed the pull of my conscience. I knew that I should not steal, but I did it anyway. I made the choice to follow my temptation over my moral values, unlike those journalists at the Pentagon.
We all want to maximize our pleasure and reach our goals: our M&M’s call to us. We can either let those temptations sweep away our inhibitions, or resist them. Maybe I have grown out of stealing M&M’s from the cupboard, but similar choices still test me. Should I bend the truth? How far can I push those closest to me? I yearn to make the right choice, but that same deluge still haunts me. Decisions can lead to far worse consequences than an upset stomach.