DECISION MAKING

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................
No cheating...
&n! bsp; Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and
sacrifice
only one child. You might think the same way initially, 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 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.