1 The Day I Broke the Rules

Finding Out the Factors Pulling at Each Side of a Dilemma

Look up the word “dilemma” in the dictionary to find its meaning.

Word Definition
dilemma a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two
different things you could do

Think of one example of a dilemma that you have had in your life and share it with your
classmates.

　　 I was once faced with a dilemma when 　 my sister told me that she had a
boyfriend and asked me not to tell my parents 　 . If I chose to 　 tell my parents
　 , I would 　 no longer have my sister’s trust in me 　 . However, if I chose to 　
keep the secret for my sister 　 , I would 　 probably annoy my parents for lying to
them 　 . I really didn’t know what to do.

What is the dilemma that the author faced in “The Day I Broke the Rules”?
He couldn’t decide if he should hug the sick child or not.

Read the text again carefully and find out the factors that are “pulling” at either side of
the dilemma.

Not to Break the Rule To Break the Rule

․ “I wasn’t permitted to have ․ “I also felt that sometimes

any physical contact with the nothing can convey love,
children either, since doing empathy, and warmth like a
so might pass on germs to heartfelt embrace.”
them.” ․ “It was really heartbreaking to
see such a young boy confined

1
 to a hospital bed.”
․ “That’s when he stretched out his
tiny arms to hug me. I was about
to refuse again, but then I saw
the look of hope in his eyes.”

Building Up the Hierarchy of Your Core Values

Have you ever wondered what influences your decisions in life? Why do you prefer one
situation over another? The answer lies in what you believe and what is more important
to you.

O ur be liefs and what we regard as important are called our “core values.” One’s core
v a l u e s c o u l d b e v e r y d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h o s e o f a n o t h e r p e r s o n . T h a t ’s t h e r e a s o n
people tend to have various reactions to the very same incident. In most cases, there is no
absolute right or wrong; there is only the choice one makes, which is based on his or her
core values.
The following are some common core values that people have. Read them and try to
figure out what the author’s core values might be. Share your ideas with your partners.

Achievement, Adventure, Beauty, Compassion, Competition, Connection, Courage,

Empathy, Fairness, Faith, Fame, Family, Freedom, Friendship, Happiness, Health, Honesty,
Honor, Independence, Intelligence, Kindness, Knowledge, Love, Money, Nature, Peace,
Power, Respect, Strength, Success, Teamwork, Truth, Wisdom

I think the core values of the author might be 　 empathy, intimacy, and love 　 because he
　 w o u l d r a t h e r t a k e t h e r i s k o f l o s

Select five values from the list above that you regard as essential and rank them in order
of importance to you.

1.love4.connection
2.health5.wisdom
3.peace

2
Go back to the example of the dilemma in your life in Task 1. Now make use of your

core-value list to explain what you could do to manage the dilemma. Share your ideas
with your partners.

　　 To me, 　 love 　 is more important than 　 honesty 　 . Therefore, though

　 keeping the secret for my sister 　 would 　 make me a liar to some extent 　 , I
would still choose 　 not to tell my parents about my sister’s boyfriend 　 . I believe that
　 as long as our family’s love for one another is strong enough, everything will still be all
right when my parents find out the truth on their own in the end 　　　　　 .