I dropped an M&M on the floor – a red one. I had 2 seconds to retrieve it. But I was slow on the draw. Locating it and bending over took at least twice that amount of time. But wait, I was still within the 5 second rule. Should I or should I not? If it had been a brussel sprout would I have even pondered? Dropping it would have been a boon. I would not have to eat it. But this was an M&M. It had that crispy coating over that amazing drop of chocolate. This was not a Brussel Sprout this was a tragedy, unless the 5 second rule applied.
Ah, the intrigue and power of rationalization. Now, I know that bacteria are transferred instantly onto a fallen object, that is if it lands on the bacteria. But what if this was a clean place on the floor? And research does show that a full minute on the floor will contaminate the fallen object ten times as much over that of an object retrieved within 5 seconds.
Was I about to risk my health anymore than if I ate a bowl of ice cream? I have no idea who sneezed at the ice cream factory or the health of the scooper/server at Friendly’s. Is anything we eat really clean? And furthermore just this morning I received a huge dose of antibodies. I mean huge. It took four hours to run it through a tiny needle into my arm. (I have to do this once a month – aftermath of many kinds of chemo.) Right now at this very moment I am as safe from disease as I will ever be.
More importantly – this relates to so many other aspects of right and wrong.
Spring Of Life