An Impossible Choice
What would you do if you were forced to choose between two options; one which is terrible and goes against everything you believe and one which is only slightly better but still requires you to compromise on many of your most fundamental beliefs?
How do you make such an impossible choice?
Many years ago I read the book Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. In the book a Russian detective, Arkady Renko is questioning a witness to a murder, Irina Asanova who is from Siberia, one of the coldest parts of Russia. She tells him a story about the ‘Siberian Dilemma’.
She tells him that if you fall into a river or lake in Siberia in winter, you only have two choices.
One is to stay in the water; in which case you would have few minutes to live before you freeze to death.
The other is to get out of the water; in which case you freeze to death almost immediately.
All you have are two impossible choices.
Both with terrible outcomes.
I now understand the Siberian Dilemma. My situation is not too dissimilar.
Let’s say one option is a person who promised so much to you but in the end who ended up disappointing you in every way possible. One who on the day of revelation showed the despicable and untrustworthy character hidden beneath layers of charm. The other is likely a disappointment waiting to happen, if history is any indication of the future.
Both options will end up disappointing you.
What do you do then?
Should you choose the lesser of the two evils?
I can only choose (hopefully) the lesser of the two evils; to remain in the water and at least buy a few minutes of time before inevitably freezing to death.
It’s my turn now and they are reading out my name.
I go up, cast my vote and leave the polling station.
Outside there is still a long queue of voters; victims waiting patiently in line to vote in their next perpetrator.