One little boy stood up and offered, "If my best friend, who lives on a
farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs him over and kills him,
that would be a tragedy".
"No", said little John, "that would be an accident".
A little girl raised her hand. "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove
over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy."
I'm afraid not", explained the PM. "That's what we would call a great loss".
The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Howard searched the
room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of tragedy?"
Finally at the back of the room a small boy raised his hand. In a quiet
voice he said: "If an aircraft carrying you, Mr. Howard, was struck by a
"friendly fire" missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy".
"Fantastic!", exclaimed little Johnny. "That's right. And can you tell me
why that would be a tragedy?"
"Well", says the boy, "it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't
be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either".
farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs him over and kills him,
that would be a tragedy".
"No", said little John, "that would be an accident".
A little girl raised her hand. "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove
over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy."
I'm afraid not", explained the PM. "That's what we would call a great loss".
The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Howard searched the
room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of tragedy?"
Finally at the back of the room a small boy raised his hand. In a quiet
voice he said: "If an aircraft carrying you, Mr. Howard, was struck by a
"friendly fire" missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy".
"Fantastic!", exclaimed little Johnny. "That's right. And can you tell me
why that would be a tragedy?"
"Well", says the boy, "it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't
be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either".
