Monday, 8/22

 I had a moral and ethical quandary over the weekend.  And, believe it or not, it involved Pepsi.

The only pop (or soda, if you're not from the Midwest) I drink is Pepsi Throwback, the one with real sugar.  I won't drink anything with high fructose corn syrup or much of anything that has an artificial sweetener in it. I will, however, drink Pepsi Throwback, especially on days when Loraine and I have been on the soccer pitch and I need to get rehydrated.

Because, for some strange reason, Pepsi Throwback does that.  Don't ask; I have no idea why.

The bad thing about drinking Pepsi Throwback is that it's not readily available.  It's only in the stores at certain times, so whenever I see a 12-pack I pick one or two up.  The past few weeks was one of those times it wasn't readily available, and we were starting to run low on our supply.  So imagine my delight when I saw the grocery store in which we were shopping had it in stock.  In fact, it was on sale--buy two 12-packs and get one free.

So I started to get my three 12-packs.  And that's where the moral and ethical quandary came in.  You see, there were only three 12-packs left on the shelf.  If I were to buy all three of them I might be depriving another Pepsi Throwback fan of their chance to pick up the nectar of the gods.  But if I didn't buy them, then it might be weeks--if not months--before we had the chance to stock up.  I'd be making sure we didn't run out for a long time, but I also might be putting someone else into the very same situation that I was trying to avoid.

Yes, I know I'm strange.  And like all good Gen Xers, I blame my parents, who not only taught me to share but to also empathize with others and the problems they might be facing.   If I had just grown up with parents who were in it for themselves and didn't care about others, I wouldn't have been facing this moral and ethical quandary.

Thanks, mom & dad.

8-)

As it turns out, the moral and ethical quandary was put to rest when I asked someone at the store if they'd be getting more in.  They were; in fact, they had it in stock but just hadn't replenished the shelves yet.  So, in the end, I was able to eat my cake (er, drink my Pepsi Throwback) and have it, too.  But the fact that I was having a moral debate about it, even if it was just with myself, made me realize just what a positive  influence my parents had on me.

Oh, and just how much I really, really like Pepsi Throwback.

(jim@wmqt.com)