A boy was once taking home some fish in a plastic bag for his aquarium. The trip was long and his friend who was with him was concerned about the fish running out of air.
“You should put some of the ice from your drink into the water with the fish,” said the friend.
“Why?” said the boy.
His friend explained: “Fish are cold blooded, right? A cold blooded animal takes on the temperature of its environment. The cooler the temperature, the slower its metabolism. The slower its metabolism the less food and air it needs. If it needs less air, the air in the bag will last longer an the fish are more likely to make it home safely.”
The boy thought his friends advice sounded reasonable and added the ice from his drink into the bag with the fish. Most of the fish promptly died.
What neither of them realized was that fish respond very poorly to rapid temperature changes and can die from them.
What is the lesson from this story?
1. We can know certain relevant facts when making decisions, but not all of them. The facts we do not know may make all the difference.
2. Experience is more likely to yield good decisions than book knowledge.
802701 A.D. 