Food for thought:

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, I thought the same way  initially because 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 RIGHT is  often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or  ignorant the majority are, and how far-sighted and knowledgeable the wise  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 decision may not always be the right one.