The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: A Story (A Wind's Twelve Quarters Story)

Would you willingly accept one person in absolute misery for its lifetime and come face to face to its situation and hardship if you and everyone you know would gain the perfect life from it? I doubt I could.

How much is one person's happiness worth? That's the central question in this philosophical short story. One child is left to continually suffer and endure unimaginable pain so that the people of Omelas are able to live in bliss. Some of the people go down to the room to see the child, in its filth and misery. Some of them are disgusted by what they see, but they go about their days, not going to feel called to change anything. But some people, thankfully, are moved enough to leave Omelas altogether as a protest against the child's suffering. One of the most thought-provoking short stories I've read.

Verstörende Kurzgeschichte, die einen zum nachdenken über unser privilegiertes Leben gibt und welches Leid wir von Schwächeren dafür in Kauf nehmen.