A Lesson Learnt...

My boss today told me this story...

A group of children were playing near two railways, one still in use while the other 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 can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would mean the lone kid playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Which one will you choose?

I sat there and think what should be my answer. Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. Saving the forest and sacrificing the tree.

But another thing came to mind... The child that played on the disused track. He did the correct thing. He knew the track was not in use so he played there. While the kids that played on the operational track should be punished. That made me a big dilemma.

So i told my boss, i will not switch track. I told him the reason and he applauded at my rationality. He said i chose it because of moral and ethical issues. My reasons were that the children knew the track was dangerous, why save them? And... The children playing on the track must expect train to bypass them. Not the one at the disused track, he might get caught surprised by the oncoming train. Furthermore, why the track is not used maybe its faulty. By saving the children, i might end up harming those on board the train. Causing more harm and carnage.

As my vocation sometimes needs to make tough decisions and hasty one, he told us that story to reemphasise our job. As we are dealing with something more dangerous than guns and bombs, we are dealing with human emotions. We do make mistakes and hasty decisions may not always be the right ones. Everybody make mistakes, that is why the eraser is invented after the pencil.

Before he left the lunch table, he told me this quote...

What's right may not be popular, and what's popular may not be right.