Will to Survive

As you read about the sinking of the Titanic, think about other stories, movies, or books in which a character (real or fictional) has to choose between saving himself or herself and saving others. How does one balance the will to survive with the urge to help others? Do you think this is a conscious choice, or do people act on instinct in an emergency situation and only think of the danger to themselves later? How do you think you would act in such a situation?

•  One balances the will to survive with the urge to help others just like how a person balances their self value with their pride. What I mean when I talk about self value is that most people are afraid of dying. Most people do not want to risk their own lives to help others. This is selfishness, which is natural for human nature. However, pride contradicts their self value. Some certain people like to show off and be the center of attention, or be a hero, so they would want to help others so that they respect him or her as their "hero". Pride can be said as a person's passion as a "human being", which is being nice and friendly with each other.
• People do things both conciously and unconsiously. It really depends on the person, and what their personality is and what their way of thinking is. When a person does an act consiously, it is either because they are valuing themselves, or because of pride. When they are acting unconsiously, it reflects their passion for life. 
• When I am in such a situation, it really depends on who I'm saving. If it the person was my friend, then I would definitely save him or her. If the person was a stranger, then I might save them, depending on my impression of that person. However, if I do not like the person, then I would save myself first.