Priscille Promesse DB # 8

The movie I decided to watch is “Leave No Trace” I choose to watch this movie because I thought it would be interesting to learn how a teenage girl can leave in the wild away from all known amenities. Ben Foster and Thomasin Mckenzie who plays father (Will) and daughter (Tom) in the movie choose to leave in the woods. The moral dilemma of the movie is the collaborative efforts of the two on how to remain off the grid. They often kept drills to hide in the evergreen bush leaving no trace of visibility, they change their trails and location regularly so that they wouldn’t be found. Although the story didn’t say why they wanted to be in exile but based on Will’s nightmares about the war one can infer that Will an Ex-Military Serviceman is having psychological issues, he is experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D) and he thinks the best way to deal with his situation is to stay away from society, which is why Will resorted to camping in the woods of Portland, Oregon with his 13-year-old daughter Tom.

Initially, Tom welcomes the idea, she quickly adapted to the changes and was actually enjoying leaving in the wild, until she happened to make the mistake of living on a trail while hiding in what she thought was a regular drill but this time it was an actual search by forest rangers, social service personnel and police officers with a service dog. They were caught and were taken into the City where they were placed into housing, Will was sent for a psychological evaluation but no update on his result was given. Meanwhile, Tom was placed in the care of social services in a shelter separate from her father, where she met and made friends with other children, she inquired from them about school and social activities, which led to her being taken in for an investigation where she was questioned about her education, housing, and social life. At first, she was a bit reluctant she put up a resistance but eventually she began to cooperate with her investigator and said that her father is her educator, she was then given an aptitude test which her performance proved that she was way above her level, afterward, she was reunited with her father, and they were offered a traditional house on a farm to leave in exchange of Will’s labor in helping on the farm, Tom became familiar with her surrounding and wanted to stay in civilization but that soon came to an end when her dad Will decided to embark on his journey once again. While back in the woods Tom realized that she doesn’t want this lifestyle anymore, she confronted her father, but he was relentless. He then got injured and she found him unconscious she went to seek help and they once again were brought back to civilization. she tried to convince her dad to stay there but as soon as he got healed, he decided to head back into the woods again only this time halfway through the journey Tom decided to turn back and let her father continue on without her.

My evaluation of the movie-based John Chaffee’s seven moral positions

I would follow my conscience:

This is a father who loves his daughter, a caring dad who wants what’s best for his daughter but in this situation, his course of action is morally wrong and inappropriate for his daughter. Due to his psychological disorder, his mental cognition would process thought concerning him, so his decisions were based on his own interest without taking consideration of his daughter’s feeling, he never gave her the opportunity to choose, he simply uprooted her out of her comfort and into remote leaving.

I Don’t Know What I Would Do:

Here we see a teenage girl is caught between obeying her dad and doing what’s right even when her conscience and independent thoughts are telling her this is morally wrong, she had no choice but to accept his decision because he was the authority figure in her life.

I Would Do Whatever Would Improve My Situation:

 It is Will’s belief that being away from civilization would improve his condition, but that is not a solution to his problem, what he needs is some medical intervention.

I Would Do What God or the Scripture Say is Right:

Will in his frame of mind wasn’t ready to follow any kind of principles whatsoever, because he was invited to attend church service in the community which he did, but his daughter came home with a pamphlet from the service, and she wanted to discuss it with him when she asks if he would consider taking membership his response was, we only attended because it is considered to be morally right in this community.

I Would Do Whatever Made Me Happy:

In this situation, I don’t think any one of them was really happy.

I Would Follow the Advice of an Authority, Such as a Parent or Teacher:

 Will was a father who had no intention of taking advice from an authority figure, he was asked to render his labor in exchange for a comfortable house to leave with his daughter instead he feels that he was being controlled, he was asked to sign his daughter up for school instead he decides to take her back into the woods.

I Would Do What Is Best for Everyone Involved:

 Didn’t seem that way to me, at least not in this situation it was a one-sided mind.

             Describe the decision that you would make in this situation and explain why.

 Obviously, Will needed help, but if he feels that the best approach to his situation is remote leaving, then the best thing for him to have done was to leave his daughter in the care of trusted family members while he went to search for healing through meditation in the woods, this was an inappropriate environment for his teenage daughter. Because they had to share one tent, sleep in the same bed, and take shows out in the open there was no privacy whatsoever. I can’t see her being comfortable with that, the issue was with him so he should have dealt with it by himself.

Identify the moral value(s) or principle(s) on which you based your decision based on Chaffee’s moral positions.

I Would Do What Is Best for Everyone Involved: As I have mentioned above, I would take my teenage daughter’s best interest at heart and do what’s best for her, even if it takes a little bit of compromising what I would rather have done. Knowing that she is happy and in good care, only then would I do whatever will help with my situation.  

Based on this analysis, describe your thoughts about your own moral compass.

My thoughts on my moral compass: I would follow my conscience and I would do what I believe is morally right, with empathy and all fairness.