Hallucinations and good intentions
Strange things happen everyday. Some things are so strange they make the news. But most people don't care about news, so they don't even know.
My name's Liam Welsh, and my goal is to see what people know by asking hypothetical questions about real things that happen in the news. By diving into the real issues with my hard-hitting hypothetical questions, I expect to educate the public, as well as learn a few things about life along the ride.
A man in upstate New York broke into his neighbor's home and basically kidnapped their dog. But somehow his intentions were good…
The man was tripping on a potent mixture of LSD and cough syrup, which naturally led to some hallucinations.
One thing he happened to see during his trip was a fire. A fire in the house right next to him. And he knew one thing for sure, there was a dog in that burning house.
At first he pounded on the door in an attempt to warn them of the situation. After not getting a reaction he plowed through their fence with his BMW, broke into the home and "rescued" the dog, before fleeing the scene.
Ultimately he was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, and burglary. But interestingly he didn't face drug charges.
A freshman, Nyahm Ali-Levin, stopped briefly to answer a few questions.
Me: Would you break into a burning building to save your neighbors dog?
Nyahm: Yeah… I definitely would.
Me: What if the building wasn't actually on fire?
Nyahm: What?
Me: Would you still break in and rescue the dog?
Nyahm: I mean if the building's not on fire why am I breaking in?
Me: What if you were hallucinating?
Nyahm: I knew that's where this was going. But if I'm tripping I'm not going in there.
Fair enough.
What was it that made that man go into that house that day? I mean the hallucinogens obviously, but perhaps there was something deeper that caused him to do what he did.
What if that dog really was in danger? What if a hero was wrongfully arrested?
That's likely not the case, but some things we may never know… If the answers come up in the news though, I'll be sure to pass along the word.