Pick Your Poison

Crazy hypothetical: Pick Your Poison*

You are trapped in a room with no means of escape. The only way you will be released is by drinking from a flask on one of three tables. You must pick a table then drink from one of the choices.

Table #1. It has three poisons, One will kill you in 50 years, the other will kill you in 50 months, the other in 50 days. There are all identical and it is impossible to tell which one is which, even after you have drunk the poison. If you chose this table you will escape but be poisoned unsure of how much time you have left.

Table #2. It has three drinks. One is harmless, one will kill you instantly, and the other will kill when you turn 50. They are all identical, so if you survive the drink, you will either live till 50 or not be effected but you won’t know which.

Table #3. It also has three drinks. One is harmless, one will kill you instantly and the other will cut your life span in half. The bottles are not identical and there is a way for a very clever person to figure out which is which. After you drink you will know for sure which type you have you have just drunk.

Which table will you chose?

Factors to consider: Would you risk shorting your life for a chance to see your friends and family again. Would you risk a worse fate thinking you can figure the game out? Would you take the best odds even if it meant you might die early?

*Crazy Hypothetical is a mental game that gives you a conditional choice that gets you thinking about a subject. I used these for several years as discussion starters in Bible class. This one is good for thinking about the risks we take and how we view our life.(James 4:13-17)