Should Taoyu have jumped off of the diving board?
One of the discussion questions that we debated during class when discussing the short story “Vaulting at Sea” was the question “Should Taoyu have jumped off of the diving board?” My initial thoughts during the class period was that he should have finished the stunt, but upon further reflection of the different arguments presented, I began to resonate with a variety of views. I wanted to holistically analyze all possible aspects and opinions of this question to understand more of why Taoyu decided to make his ultimate decision. My first opinions mostly stemmed from the large effect that he projected on himself and others upon deciding to not jump off the board. In particular, his decision ruined any chance his partner Hai had of winning in the Olympics, a feat they were predicted to achieve. All the years of training and hard work to lead to these platform moments like the Olympics were taken away in a single instant. Because synchronized diving is so heavily dependent on the pre...