A Matter Of Perspective

We Don’t Always Agree On The Same Solution

By Tom Kelley

At the end of a day of traveling, a truck driver, an engineer and a software programmer hopped into a rental car and headed up to the popular diner at the top of Mount Baldy. After chatting about each one’s day at work, and consuming a hearty meal, they headed back down the mountain to their hotel rooms.

About half-way down the hill, the brakes on the rental car started to fail. Luckily, the truck driver was at the wheel, and he was able to bring the car to a safe stop by downshifting and easing the car into the soft shoulder at the side of the road.

Having just cheated death, the three men got out of the car and considered what they should do next.

The truck driver suggested, “Let’s call a tow truck to get us and the car back to the hotel, and then we can call the rental agency in the morning.”

The ever-inquisitive engineer said, “That sounds good, but first, let’s look and see what went wrong with the brakes, so we can help protect others from the same danger.”

Unfortunately, the software programmer disagreed, stating, “No, we need to push the car back up the hill, start it up again, and then try driving downhill to see if the same problem happens a second time.”