Occasionally I am asked to provide something for a friend or relative or to solve a problem. This item or challenge may be something that does not interest me or for something which I am personally opposed. Nevertheless the fun of procurement and providing a service makes irrelevant the fact that this is something that I personally would not seek. The fun is in the pursuit, the hunt. This can be a sobering endeavor, however. The desire for approval and commendation for creativity in procurement has led no doubt to the realization of somber even, ghastly results. Who, I wonder, felt good about ingeniously devising the gas chambers in Nazi death camps? Who felt good about formulating the final solution or developing soap from human remains? No doubt someone received commendation for all of these things and a sense of a job well done. The thrill of the hunt, the gratification of appreciation can have a force that blinds one to consequences and the moral dimension.
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