Decision making

Decision making
The story given below is quite interesting and really gives us aninsight 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. Onlyone child played on the disused track, the rest on the operationaltrack. The train came, and you werejust beside the track interchange. You could make the train change itscourse to the disused track and savedmost of the kids.However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disusedtrack would be sacrificed. Or would yourather let the train go its way?Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make................No cheating...

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train,and sacrificeonly one child. You might thinkthe same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children atthe expense of only one child was rational decision most people wouldmake, morally and emotionally. But, haveyou ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decisionto play at a safe place?Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friendswho chose to play where the dangerwas. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especiallyin a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for theinterest of the majority, no matter how foolishor 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 trackwas sidelined. And in the case hewas sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him. <>The friend who told me the story said he would not try to changethe course of the train because hebelieved that the kids playing on the operational track should haveknown very well that track was still In use,and that they should have run away if they heard the train'ssirens.If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die becausehe never thought the traincould 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 allpassengers on board at stake! And inyour attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of peopleto save these few kids.While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need tobe made,we may not realize thathasty decisions may not always be the right one. "Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popularisn't always right."Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils..