The Hardest Choice: Is Sacrificing A Few Justifiable For The Greater Happiness?

I came across this topic yesterday, and I really wanted to write about it immediately. But as soon as I sat down to start writing, I found my head was blank and realized I needed enough time to reflect on this topic. After re-reading the topic, I couldn’t help but wonder about the person who suggested it. What exactly were they thinking? It must've taken a significant amount of deep thinking to come up with such a topic. So, if you're the one who came up with this topic, kudos to you. You've succeeded in giving so many people (including me) brain freeze and headaches. I'm pretty sure so many people had a hard time reflecting on this topic.

First off, I’ll start by acknowledging that as humans we are faced with difficult situations. Oftentimes, we are caught in a dilemma between two things, and it is up to us to choose the best. This evening, I watched a video on Instagram about sacrifices. According to the host, if you're faced with two difficult options, the best decision is to choose the one that you'll regret the least. My question is that how will you know the one with the least regrets when the future is uncertain? Today’s edition of the Hive learners prompts asks us if we would do a terrible thing even if it would yield the most positive result. Will you sacrifice a few just to save millions? I have never been in such a situation and pray, I hope I never find myself in one.

This topic reminds me of a story my teacher told us in elementary school. I assume it is a popular one or at least most people are familiar with it. The story goes like this; a driver loses control of his breaks on a very busy road. He is faced with a dilemma- either run into two people and halt the car or run into a crowd. Will the driver choose to sacrifice those two people to save the crowd? If you were the driver, what would you do?

Human existence is complex- we find ourselves doing unimaginable things. For as long as history can remember, humans do not value sacrifices. Bringing a biblical allusion, Jesus sacrificed himself to save millions, but today, there are millions of people who have not only digressed from his teachings, but also forgotten all about him. Here's another case study that shows that humans will never value sacrifices: 2020 will always be remembered in my country, because it was a year that people sacrificed their lives for the sake of their country.

Police brutality got to its vertex and the Nigerian youths couldn't bear it any longer. They came out to voice their opinions. What was supposed to be a peaceful protest, ended up being a massacre. About 12 Nigerian youths sacrificed their lives to make the country better. And has the country gotten better? No! In fact, it has gotten way worse than it was four years ago. It has gotten way worse than it had ever been. Now, tell me, what’s the point of making sacrifices when it is going to go unnoticed?

As sad as it is that humans don’t value sacrifices, I'm still of the school of thought that it is the best approach. Whether or not they value it or not, it is better to sacrifice a few to save millions. So, if I were the driver, I’d rather run into the two people than run into the crowd. Again, I hope to never find myself in such a situation.

Thanks for reading.