I think the question becomes – “How did they get in front of the train?

” or how does anybody end up

where they are?

The first principle to recognize is that all human actions are reactionary, they are derivative of
something else. Here is an example ( denotes “because”)

I had to reschedule my flight  the plane was experiencing engine problems  the airline company did
not maintain the jet well  they wanted to cut costs  they wanted to increase their income 
investors were not satisfied with the company’s performance

So, at any given time, we are taking actions, or

selecting a pathway, from an array of set ‘options’.
This set of possibilities is something we can navigate
through by the influence of our actions. However,
these possibilities are not something we create, but
rather discover. A good example is from a movie
where the protagonist is faced with three doors to
choose from: “very scary, somewhat scary, not scary
at all.” What are behind those doors already exist, and
in selecting a door to open, one can discover them.
We discover these realities because no one can
perfectly know what exists in the future; it requires
action through decision making.

All actions we take are on the smallest level binary; this or that, A or B. Even when you are asked what
type of flavor ice cream you want at the stand, you might think your decision is selected from numerous
options, but technically that is not true. Yes, you are given a vast variety of options to choose from, but
you slowly eliminate options in your decision-making process. No to strawberry, no to vanilla, no to
chocolate, etc. until you only have two options left, and you pick one.

This brief description of timelines only considers my own actions – how do others’ decisions affect my
future? Others’ decisions are
fundamentally intertwined with
your options by either removing
or allowing certain pathways. In
this example, we see that
because of person B’s decision
(red line), he removed the
potential for person A to pick
option ‘B’ from their array of
possibilities. In fact, person A
wanted to pick option ‘B’ but
could not, and was thus forced to
choose ‘A.’ In this example, we
notice that option ‘B’ in person A’s timeline was contended by person B; why did person B’s decision
take priority over person A’s? Power and authority - not just in regard to their position in respect to
others, but also in the action taken with that decision. An unfortunate example of a decision’s action
which holds total power is murder. In this tragic scenario, one person has chosen to completely
eliminate another person’s possibilities.

I’ve briefly demonstrated that we arrive at ‘options’ because of the influence of our own choices as well
as others’ decisions. So, if we end up at a bad ‘option,’ we should think about how that option was
reached. As we discussed previously, no person can accurately know the future, so when we make a
decision, we should employ the aid of tools such as statistics, history, logic, and science.

Arriving at a bad ‘option’ can happen in a few different ways:

1) We deliberately take an action with a large degree of certainty that this bad ‘option’ will be
realized – our intention was to arrive at a poor ‘option.’
For example, when we decide to put our hand over a scorching fire pit. Through the use of tools
previously mentioned, we can be almost certain that our hand will be burned. The more math
can be used to predict the outcome of an action, the more certain that outcome becomes; math
is a fundamental law.
2) We take actions without use of the tools to help predict outcomes, and thus arrive at a poor
‘option.’ Perhaps this is caused by ignorance, refusal, or both. Regardless, one should always
seek to make educated decisions based on the tools given to us. If we are aware of these tools
and choose not to use them, we choose to act carelessly and without regard for ourselves and
other people.
3) Even through proper use of these tools, we still arrive at a poor ‘option.’ These scenarios are
actually the most beneficial to us because we are able to learn from mistakes and thus
strengthen our decision making. When cavemen first discovered fire, I’m presuming they
learned ‘the hard way’ that touching it results in a burn. Similarly, today we have become better
at predicting earthquakes, detecting cancer, preventing crime, and counteracting terrorism.
From continued use of the tools available to us, in conjunction with learning from past errors,
we are better able to predict these poor ‘possibilities’ from becoming a reality.
4) We arrive at a poor ‘option’ due to the authoritative power in another person’s decisions which
directly eliminates our ‘good’ options; this happens frequently. When faced with these
situations, we are beholden to what actions they choose and are thus restricted in freedom of
choice. We should do our best to avoid allowing our options to be restricted by a superior force
which would seek to place us in a ‘poor’ option.
As mentioned previously, our options are fundamentally intertwined with those of other people.
Hence, it is impossible to fully prevent ourselves from being exposed to the influence of others.
While this fact is unescapable, what we can do is closely interact with those would wish us to
arrive at ‘good’ options.

I believe arriving at a poor ‘option’ because of #1 or #2 is gravely wrong and you should be held
accountable for your actions - #3 and #4 are allowable, but should always be seen as a learning
experience, not as an excuse.

I would have to closely examine the actions which led to the unfortunate dilemma this family is faced
with. I do not know whose life I would pick. My primary focus would be on understanding how that
‘option’ was reached, and how it can be avoided in the future.