Which one will you choose?
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track. The train came, and you were just beside
the track interchange. You could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids.However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed.Or would you rather let the train go its way?
Let’s take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make.Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child.You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.
But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?
Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.
This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community,in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are.
The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.
Some of us will say that we would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train’s sirens.
If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track!
Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.
While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.
“Remember that what’s right isn’t always popular… and what’s popular isn’t always right.”
Everybody makes mistakes; that’s why they put erasers on pencils.
I came across this old e-mail which I think would be useful in motivating people to make proper decission. In this life, we always get to make decission most of the time. Sometimes we are unsure of what to decide and instead asking other’s opinion or help. But in some cases, the decision not made by yourself will not always give you full satisfaction as in the outcome. Confused, unsure, scared, are the feeling that might exist when making a decision. One thing can be learned from this is: what’s right isn’t always popular… and what’s popular isn’t always right.”
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