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, 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.
'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.
