Five people were aboard a small airplane, cruising at 30,000 feet, when the engines sputtered and failed. The pilot turned to the passengers and delivered the grim news: the plane was going down. The real problem? There were only four parachutes.
Panic filled the cabin as the passengers tried to decide who would get the parachutes. The first person, a sharply dressed man with an air of self-importance, stood up confidently.
“I’m the smartest person in the world,” he declared. “Humanity cannot afford to lose my brilliance.”
Without waiting for any objections, he grabbed a parachute, strapped it on, and leapt out of the plane.
The second person, a young woman clutching a photograph of her children, stepped forward. “I’m a mother,” she said. “My kids need me. They can’t grow up without their mom.”
She grabbed the next parachute and jumped without hesitation.
The third person, a middle-aged man with a furrowed brow, spoke up next. “I’m the sole breadwinner for my family. They depend on me for everything.”
He seized the third parachute and disappeared out of the plane.
Now, only two passengers remained: a 65-year-old man with kind eyes and a 10-year-old boy.
The old man sighed and turned to the boy. “Son,” he said, his voice steady despite the chaos, “I’ve lived a long life. I’ve seen and done many things. You’re young, with so much ahead of you. You take the last parachute.”
The boy looked up at him, a smile spreading across his face. “Don’t worry, Sir,” he said. “There are still two parachutes left.”
The old man blinked in confusion. “How’s that possible?”
The boy chuckled, pointing to the open door. “The guy who thought he was the smartest person on Earth. He jumped out with my backpack.”
The two shared a laugh, then calmly strapped on the remaining parachutes and leapt to safety.