First Trains, Now Boats




You are the captain of a ship. A huge storm rolls in and threatens to sink your beloved boat.
If all are to survive the storm, you and your passengers need to abandon the ship and get into a lifeboat - a single lifeboat left.
Everyone scrambles to get into the lifeboat. But there is a problem.
There are about 20 of you, but the lifeboat can only hold a maximum of 10.
Any more on the boat will threaten to overturn the entire lifeboat and put everyone's life in danger.
If you do not throw people off the boat, you will ALL drown at sea.

As the captain, how do you decide who stays, and who goes?

Age?
Gender?
Health?
Ability to swim?

En. Mohsin posed this question to us during that same lecture. There were many opinions voiced. Some said the sickly ones, those with terminal diseases should go, because they were going to die soon anyway. Some said let the women and children stay on the boat. Throw the older men off the boat. To which En. Mohsin replied "Wah, kalau macam tu, jika saya yang berada di atas bot itu, saya mesti kena buang ke laut ni."
We laughed at that.
But based on the criteria, that would be true.
If this were a real-life situation, can we really throw En. Mohsin off the lifeboat?

If everyone were strangers, and I did not know any one of them, I think it would be an easier choice to make as captain. Not saying that it will be easy. But it will be easier.

However, to take it one step further, I want to suggest that your old, sickly father is on that same boat.
Based on the criteria, your father may be one of the first to go.

Would you?

I don't think I could. But then it would be unfair to the others.

What would you do?

Comments

Wil Liam said…
Can't we just "lat ta li, lat ta li, tam poom"?? It's easier mah...and that's quite fair I think.
Hahahaha....

Anyway, if it was between my loved one and me....I'll choose to go..
(Wah! Even I can't believe I said that!) Wakakakakaka.....:P
T.E.J. Davin said…
Very good question. I ask these types of questions as well. But the purpose is not to see what the answer is as one will only know it for real when the time comes.

I ask these questions for others to ponder on where they stand in life and how they value others compared to themselves.
shandye. said…
kalau dahulukan warga tua kerana atas rasa belas dan hormat, yang muda akan membantah... menyuarakan bahawa warga tua akan lambat laun mati kerana tua...

kalau dahulukan warga wanita dan anak2 kecil pula... yang sakit dan nazak akan membantah... menyuarakan hak mereka juga.

entahlah. sukar juga ya?
Anonymous said…
hmm.. VERY DIFFICULT indeed..

I would just address ur final ques straight..

if it's my dad....

i guess after i come to my ans & after 2 scenarios given in few minutes to me? haha. I realise I ver much towards person who is obeying fair-and-square..

which i tink u may can guess my ans dy..

if my dad is thr.......
I would defnitely having my hard time to say this to him....
crying + etc + etc "dad........ I hv to let u go....... i hope u can und......." *ish.. u r making me into tears now*

but.. wat i hv in my mind, when ur scenario pop up:
1. I'll be 1 of d ppl jump off the boat
2. anyone willing to give up or not interested in life anymore - u can jump off too
3. most likely i'll let kids to stay on d boat (tho bias)
4. i'll let doctor to remain on d boat (if there's any) - bcoz a doc save lives (if HE IS a good doci mean)

so... ya.. i guess..... i'll be hard-hearted n say tht... but i'll definitely be staying behind with my dad. no doubts on tht.

ahh!! it's a tough scenario. u made me in tears. hahahaha...
The Bee said…
with this second dilemma
seems to ring a bell
sounds v familiar now
many many years ago
some kursus motivasi teachers were put through and then to conduct it for groups of students lah..
ya now i rmbr...
another stranded on an island scenario ...
just as tough decision making issues loh....
rough time deliberating but good exercise...
Liz said…
>>William
Don't LIE. You'd be the one who pushes everyone off!! XD

Memang la difficult. That's why I thought it was interesting to see what different people would say about it :)
Darren said…
sounds familiar to me too =) reminds me of april 14-15, 1912. the night the titanic sank

God forbid that history should ever repeat itself, but i guess if this ever happens, we could always take a lesson from history. the titanic's lifeboats could have saved over a thousand passengers, but only 706 was saved. i think what matters most is to save as many lives as possible, and not who to save.

i guess if i were the captain, i would be duty bound to protect my passengers. nevertheless, there is a vast difference between protecting my passengers and deciding who lives and who dies. man doesn't decide that, but they can realise that there are always things that are worse than death, and that there are always higher causes than our own life.

i know it might sound a strange decision to some, but if i were a captain, i guess i'd be the first to get in the water XD sry for rambling, lisa
Liz said…
>>Darren
Nope. I appreciate the "rambling". I do wanna hear opinions. :P
Unknown said…
well since the lifeboat can take only ten... means it can take the mass of 10...

i have 20 people...
well, i will get them to wear LIFE JACKETS!!!! and instead of getting in the boat.. we could tie ourselves to the side of the boat... that way we will all be save...

... that is if you had radioed SOS... and have a flare handy..

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