DECISION MAKING

 

This one is quite interesting and really gives us an insight into

DECISION MAKING.



A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in

use and the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track,

the rest on the operational track. The train came, and you are just

beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course

to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would

also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be killed

. Will you let the train go on its way or switch its tracks?



Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could

make................



Do strain yr brains.

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Thought???.........

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Many of us might choose to divert the course of the train, and

sacrifice only one child. They might think the same way, I guess

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 (here the word does

not mean the contemporary political word-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.