Dilemmas in the making of tough decisions

A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other long-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 instead.

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 only rational decision most people would be capable of making, both 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 in the very first place? Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who choose 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 majorities are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minorities are.

The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was very sadly, being justifiably sidelined. Oh, yes. It was a justified act, or so it seems.

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 were 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 disused track, we could have put the precious lives of all passengers on board at stake! – And how stupid that would be!

And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child on one hand, you might have foolishly end up sacrificing hundreds of people (the innocent passengers) on the other hand just to save these few kids. Who knows the country’s Chief Justice, some brilliant business-people, potentially bright athletes or even some pregnant women as well as doctors together with their patients who are on their ways to the hospital might well be on board among these innocent passengers … numbering more than just `a few’.

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.”