What choice would you have made?

[Mugetsu]

In Full Metal Alchemist, Edward Elric is given a choice of either sacrificing the prosiners to make the Philosophers stone or losing his brother Al. If you were in his position, what choice would you make?

[Death Warrior]

Now thats a hard choice i probably would have to sacrifice my brother cause he wouldn't want me to kill all the prisoners.

[Please!Teacher Fan Jeremy]

kill his brother. if he killed the prisoners, the homunculi would have just stolen the philosopher's stone anyway. one death or many?

[lraura]

id kill the prisoners cause they're just going to rot in jail anyway

[Truth]

Whoa. Thats not an easy decision. I would have to ponder that for a while. But in the meantime I would probably start drawing those Alchemy symbols.

And it depends on how much I like my brother.

[Raharu]

kill the prisoners

[Fionn Mac]

It would depend on the brother's choice. And from what i have seen Al would rather save the people than himself so, it would be tough. It would also depend on the prisoners, if the were in there for killings than let them die but if they were innocent then i would probably save them.

[Frequency]

You know what I would just say "srcew it" and just run. (lol!!!!!)

[*unshed~tears*]

thats a very tough choice but if it were me in that situation i would kill the prisoners because i love my bro to death.

[Jump_for_Luck]

I would have to kill the prisoners because why would Ed kill his bro? He cares for him and besides, the prisoners are evil. ^_^

[akiko_kalla]

I wouldn't have been able to kill the prisoners. No matter what they did, they are living breathing human beings and I couldn't take that many lives. Especially for so selfish a reason. As for my brother, I wouldn't want him to live with the knowledge that he was himself because of so many lives that were taken by force. My real brother and Al I don't think would be able to live with that very well. Besides, if he had created the philosopher's stone he most likely wouldn't have been able to return Al before the homunculi interevened (as someone stated above). He would be so consumed with guilt it might kill him, and if it did not the homunculi would twist the guilt until they could control him and he would meet a fate worse than death.

[gotenks x3]

i proably would of done it in his situation even if i didn't get to use it i was stuck in the room if i would of not done it they would of killed my brother then how would i get out they where garding the only exit i would of been trapped and proably killed for not doing it or i would of held them off till the millitary got there possible saving my bro but that there is a little far fetched

[Yumi-chan]

um....i would go for the prisoners.....^^;;

[blackrosetwilight]

screw all that just find a or make an Homunculi then turn that thing into the stupid stone

[akiko_kalla]

Creating a homunculus is sort of the problem, not the solution...as is the creation of the philosopher's stone itself. Anything created from selfishness or at the cost of others will never turn out the way you hope. It only sets you down a difficult path to further the corruption or fight against it. If you choose corruption, you loose yourself and all that you were. If you fight, you pray to come to terms and forgive yourself while trying to make up for the pain the guilt has ripped into you heart and the lives around you. At least this is how I see it.

[blackrosetwilight]

hey some time u got to do wrong things to achieve something right no matter what guilt u feel later on for example roy mustang u just got to keep on goin oh i also made i mistake dont u need a soul too to make the stone so i guess using an homunuculus is out of the question

[akiko_kalla]

I'm not sure exactly what you are referring to, but if it was when Roy was in Ishbal, he only did it because he felt he had to not to achieve something. He carries the guilt through the whole series and wanting to prevent such types of actions is one of the things driving him down the path he is on.

I guess I just saw it as one of the major themes in FMA, that doing something wrong to make something right doesn't change the fact that it's wrong and will have a negative effect, or at least a bittersweet one, even if the desired result is achieved. But perhaps it was just me. The with Ed at this point is a wonderful illustration of this. If he takes their lives, even if he is able to keep the stone and restore Alphonse, I doubt he would be able to live with himself. And I don't think Al would want to be in that body knowing the price. But then if he refuses and saves the prisoners, he would sacrifice his brother and I don't think he could live with loosing him again. It was never a question of achieving a goal or avoiding it guilt, it was only a question of which choice he could live with.

[Bibi of the Blue Sea]

hmm...this question sounds like another one i've heard before....

if you were in Nazi Germany at the time of hitler's reign, would you persecute the Jews to stay alive or not turn anyone in and be sent to the camps as well?

a lose-lose situation....the gulit of you causing the deaths of others for your own life or risk losing your life to help others?

either way, this is a very difficult question to answer, you can never be too sure of what you'd do unless you were in that situation. Ed did what he thought was the best choice at that time, whether or not you agree doesn't matter since you were not in that very same situation.