Thought Experiment: Would you die for someone else?

Often, I give myself thought experiments to see what I would do in certain situations. Often, the thought experiments have far-reaching implications that it doesn't seem like they would have. It's like looking under a rock to find a piece of gold. Here is one that is like this:

Imagine you are captured by an escaped murderer. He tells you that he will either (a) kill you or (b) kill some random person. If you are killed, this person will find out about your sacrifice. If this random person is killed instead, only you will know and you will have to go through the rest of your life knowing that you could have prevented someone's death.

I used to answer this question in the positive. I would give my life for someone else because, once they found out about my sacrifice, they would live their life with more pride and thankfulness than ever before. They would not put this one to waste because they know that someone somewhere sacrificed a lot to keep them alive and well.

Then, I realized that I am in the same position that this fictional person is in. My parents have sacrificed very much for me to be alive. They work endless hours so I can get an education and end up becoming a successful person. There have been people who have fought for my rights as an American citizen and have died in the process. These people have sacrificed things that had value for them. The soldier loved his family and loved his friends. He certainly did not want to die on the battlefield and leave his wife in distress and alone to raise his children. However, he took the chance to fight for the rights that all people deserve, including myself.

Thank you to all the people who have made sacrifices for me. Because of this, I am grateful for being alive and grateful for the opportunities I have.

And you should be as well.