Life issues: Temptation’s Run

Dreams, aspirations and achievements - at what cost?

We all have aspirations . They are, after all, what seems to keep life interesting. However, sometimes we may be presented with an opportunity to achieve our dream which may go against everything that we feel is right. The fulfilment may even only occur at the expense of somebody else. Hmm… looks like another one of those moral dilemmas again.

In Temptation’s Run, Tugen’s greatest craving is to win the heart of that charming school teacher, Miss Welbourne. By winning the running race, Tugen will collect the prize money and stand a good chance of impressing Miss Welbourne at the same time. Very tempting indeed! The question that he faces later on is whether he should cheat in the race to achieve his greatest hope.

Tugen needs to realise that there is perhaps more than one path to achieving his dreams. The most obvious path (in this case cheating) is not always the best one.

The hardest thing is finding the other paths(especially when you can never find the map- it’s probably down behind the bookcase or stuffed inside the magazine rack).

Money is the honey
A lot of dreams involve money. Money buys that fancy house, that car- it impresses many people and, actually, I don’t mind saying- yes- it is quite nice to have those little luxuries (have you seen the new Mercedes SL500? - airbags, alloy wheels, traction control, CD player- it’s got to have a CD player as far as I’m concerned- you should see how it handles those corners– only $85 000- I’m getting distracted- where was I?).

Oh yes. When it comes down to it, we still have to live with ourselves at the end of the day (sob). Many of us could not live with ourselves if we knew that our riches or dreams were achieved by dishonest means, especially if it was at the expense of somebody else.

Brant could live with himself quite happily, thank you very much, if he to get away with the money. In fact he would probably quickly spend it and set about devising some equally devious scam to rip another group of innocent bystanders before escaping to South America. He is the sort that would gladly sell his grandmother down the road. And, let’s face it, we all know people like this.

In the eyes of others
When it comes down to it, would you prefer the company of somebody who:

1. Thinks of others, has a laugh with you
2. Is trying to get one over you and tries to swindle you all of the time

The answer is obvious. And who wants to be known as somebody who takes advantage of someone else? What sort of friends is a person like this really going to have?

We all saw how the town reacted to Brant’s shenanigans by the end of the episode. Most would say he got his comeuppance. Bad deeds have a way of coming back and biting you where it hurts.

Tugen makes a mark in the sand
It is only late in the episode that Tugen actually realises the full extent of his dilemma. During the race against Jess, Tugen realises that the whole thing has been fixed.

An easy option could have been to quickly win the race, collect the money; and while he was on a roll, propose to Miss Welbourne and try to live happy ever after. Sounds simple enough but, ah no, Tugen it seems was made of stronger stuff.

Instead Tugen shows that he is prepared to sacrifice his dream to do what he thinks is the right thing. He satisfies his conscience in other words. He loses the race on purpose, letting Jess cross the finishing line first.

Jess recognises Tugen’s intent and sacrifice and gives him the prizemoney. Tugen wins Mary’s heart when he spends the money on school books. Tugen finds out that there was more than one way to achieve his dream – and the path that he chose in the end was a much more satisfactory one.