Have you ever thought about what you would do during a zombie apocalypse?

Of course you have.

I know what you're supposed to do when Z-Day arrives, I read the Zombie Survival Guide. Grab a crowbar, hop on a bike (because it requires no fuel and it's quiet) and find the nearest two story house, where you'll proceed to chop down the staircase and hope that you have enough supplies to keep you going until help arrives. It sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

If there is anything that The Walking Dead has taught me, it's that I'm overconfident and naive.

The zombies are easy enough to deal with, assuming you don't run into a large group of them. They're slow. You can outrun them. I'm pretty sure I would never have to worry about a zombie killing me.

The other people are the real trouble. Because when a society crumbles and things become that chaotic, all bets are off. Anything goes. People can do whatever they want without facing the consequences of their actions. People who have been nice and law-abiding all their lives will be overcome by the stress of the end of civilization as they know it, and they'll do things they never would have done otherwise.

I have no doubt in my mind that another person would eventually kill me. I know, who would kill someone with such a sunny, wonderful disposition? (Are you laughing along with me?)

I don't believe in the death penalty. Eye for an eye...Aren't we taught as children that two wrongs don't make a right? How is it okay to kill someone because they killed someone else? Aren't we trying to teach people that murder is wrong? That's a very hypocritical way to go about proving it, don't you think? What right do we have to take another person's life? No more right than they do.

This is the mentality I have. And it's exactly why I would never survive, in a zombie apocalypse or otherwise.

Last week's episode of The Walking Dead dealt with this subject. I felt like I was watching 12 Angry Men, with Dale starring as Juror #8. (Chris Hardwick even mentioned this on Talking Dead. I felt validated by the man who used to host Singled Out.) He immediately became my favorite character because he was the only one who didn't want to kill Randall. He's the only person who seems to have retained his humanity through this ordeal. And I agreed with every word he said, regardless of how dangerous it may or may not be to let someone like Randall live. 

 "He could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself.
 "So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead, there is no civilization.
 "You're talking about this like it's already decided. This is a young man's life! And it is worth more than a five minute conversation. Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with them? You saved him. And now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?
 "Not speaking out, or killing him yourself. There's no difference.
 "You once said that we don't kill the living. Don't you see, if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly, it's harsh. It's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't want to live in. And I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right.
 "Isn't there anybody else that's going to stand with me?
 "Are you all gonna watch, too? No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a party to it.
 "This group is broken."

This is probably debatable, but I'm going to say Dale was the voice of reason.

I could never sit back and watch another person be killed. Even if I didn't have to watch, just knowing it was happening would make me sick. That's not something I would ever be able to erase from my memory. I don't think it's something I would be able to live with.

So when the apocalypse comes, you're probably better off not having me with you. I'd just slow you down anyway because you KNOW I would be bringing all three of my cats along, too.