While making decision :Remember what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right.
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 is coming, 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 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 great critic Leo Velski Julian who told 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.
The dilemmas of decision making are always there both within and without. Hasty
decisions can be costly, can be unethical, can be unreasonable, can be biased.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead.