Imagine, you were present there at the moment when a train arrived at the active track. Also imagine you had the power to make the train change its course to the inactive track. Would you go ahead and change the course of the train and sacrifice the lone boy playing there in order to save the lives of the other 9 boys or would you rather let the train go its way?
Just stop for a moment and think what decision would you take…
Analyse the situation… Think and reflect…
Then decide your answer!!!!…
Whatever your decision might be… read on…
Most of us might decide to change the course of the train and save 9 boys at the expense of a single life. This looks reasonable if one thinks morally and emotionally, but did you ever try to think that the boy on the inactive track had in fact made the wise decision by choosing to play at a safe place? Indeed ! Nonetheless, most of us decide that the lone boy had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play on the wrong track.
This kind of problems are prevalent in our daily lives, in workplace, in society, in politics and especially in a Democratic nation where the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority. Regardless of the fact, how foolish or ignorant the majority are and how knowledgeable and wise the minority are. The minority life and affairs is always at risk in such a society.
Everybody would be happy for saving the lives of 9 boys (no matter how ignorant and foolish they were) and would justify their stance of sacrificing one life (regardless of his wise decision) to save many other lives.
This is absolutely not the way of taking decisions. That’s not the right decision at all. It was the boys that should have known in first place not to play on an operational railway track. Even if they did choose to play there and risk their lives, they should have run away if they heard the train coming. And in case they were unaware of the train coming then it was your duty to inform them and tell them to get away from that dangerous track (as you knew the truth) instead of diverting the course of the train.
In your hasty decision to save the lives of 9 ignorant and foolish boys you not only decided to sacrifice the life of the lone boy, but also completely forgot about the lives of hundreds of passengers in the train. What if the reason the track was not in use was because it was not safe? If the train’s course was changed to the unused track you could put the lives of hundreds of passengers at risk only to save few boys. Think about it !
Moral: Life is full of difficult decisions. Make sure you make the right one. Never make hasty decisions. Analyse the situation thoroughly and then make the decision wisely.
Please do share your views in the comments section below
Having the power to divert the train to the unused track implies having control over the train. I would have stopped the train and saved everyone.
a story to think of
I would not let the train through without shouting at the boys to move off the track. Anyway the train travels on tracks, which end as soon as it becomes two tracks, now the real problem is to save the train from going into the tracks.
Thinking that the 9 boys or the lonely boy could jump off the track in the last moment makes me think of further risk beyond the inactive track. I will choose to let the train continue the safe track and risk 9 foolish lives better than risking hundred of innocent lives on board.
I think I will do nothing because the wise child knew that he is right and safe whew the train come.Also the other kids knew that they are in the wrong place. They will jump to the safe lane when they hear the train noise.IF WE changed the track we will kill them all. Please do mot do any thing.
If I have power to change the course of the train that means I have also power to stop the train as well.The train is going to meet disaster otherwise because in your given picture there is no connecting railway track to follow either of the line.See the picture again. So force stop the train to save every one,in & out of the train.
I would stop the train
Practically, we are saving foolish majority and sacrificing wise minority. See around in daily life. This is due to our own casual attitude in the life.
I would have never transfered the train to the Inactive tract, as You never know what lies ahead on the inactive track, What if something worse happens ahead on the Inactive track, These 9 boys trying to be too smart, One boy acted wisely, He knew danger is ahead, so he prefered to move away, The other 9 too knew there is danger in this Track, still they prefered to stay here, There is nothing Wise in their decision, Infact they are acting stupid, not thinking about their family. Most I could have done is try to stop the train and save the 9 boys, But changing the track of the train is a NO for me
I would not have transferred the track for the train to go onto the unused track as if I had, I would have helped the boy be killed. It would have been up to me to stop the train from killing the 9, but not help the train kill one.
reading the story from top, I was analyzing the facts and in fact concluded with the same as the end of the story.
I think I should stop the train instead of killing or let any one killed if I have the power to operate the train !!
Saving a Wiser Boy would be my decision & it would also be a wiser decision by me as …. said in the end …. i dont know why that track has been made inactive … i cant risk the life of the 100s or more Passengers …. If i had the option of breaks i would do that being a human…. & save all of them.
I agree,this is the problem of our time. we see the majority and neglect minority. we decide to punish the people who make the right choice for the sake of the majority popular people …. that is really bad and frustrating…
I will stop imagining and will save everyone..
I would rather let the 9 boys get killed than let the one boy who had listened to the warning and took the right decision to play on the safer track.