Wise Decisions

Chapter 18Summary Wisdom from Y.O.D.A.

Consider both of the following scenarios, which demonstrate how challenging and difficult everyday decisions can be.

Scenario 1

You are an elite competitive athlete. You have been training since you were seven years old to be the best in the world in your sport. You've sacrificed everything, but it's not looking like your athletic dreams, which have become nearly an obsession with you, will ever become reality. A close friend of the family happens to be a brilliant molecular scientist and he presents you with an intriguing proposition. According to him, he has broken the biochemical code for achieving nearly unlimited athletic success. Here were his points:

• All your athletic dreams will come true. You will never lose again.
• All you have to do is take a pill and the competitive world of sports will be yours. It is important for you to know, however, that the ingredients contained in the pill are banned and taking the pill represents a form of cheating.
• Because the pill represents an unprecedented breakthrough in science, your scientist friend is 100% certain that it will not be detected in any drug testing now or ever in the future.
• Yes, all of your athletic dreams will come true, but there is one serious downside: You will die from taking the pill in five years.

So, before making your decision, let's get both sides of the decision completely clear. Decision 1 is to take the pill and have all your athletic dreams come true, knowing ...