fully quoted.
lazy to edit.
bt u may hv heard b4.
The story given below is quite interesting and really gives us
an
insight into DECISION MAKING.
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.
The friend who forwarded me the story said he 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.
**Seems like I belong to the minority cos my first tot is leave it
as it is becos I guess there might be more ppl in the train than
the disuse track.