Consider this. Hostage situation is notoriously difficult to deal with, not only because it often ends in tragedy, but because authorities doesn't want it to end that way. So they're not willing to make bold move or take any chance that could gain an upper hand over kidnappers, if it could also further jeopardize hostage's lives. This effectively makes the whole rescue effort a very inefficient waiting game. And the longer it takes, the odds of things could go awry gets bigger, and the chance of net a favorable outcome looks slimmer. Tricky, isn't it? It shouldn't be.

　　我们来思考下面这种情况。大家都知道，要把人质绑架危机解决好，是相当复杂棘手的。不但因为稍有不慎就会上演悲剧，更是因为有关当局不想参与悲剧的制作。所以，他们不愿做出大胆举措甚至某些有可能迅速突破危局制服歹徒的方法，只要这些举措和方法可能会影响到人质的安全。这也就让整个救援人质的努力变成了消极的守株待兔。然而，守得越久，出纰漏的机会也会就越大，成功解救人质的机会也就越渺茫。很纠结？其实本来不该这样。

If we compose, say, a piece of legislation which legally declare those been kidnapped to be legally killed by kidnappers, even if they're not, and at the same time, give authorities the right to shoot anyone on site, including hostages. Then this proposal would be regarded as unethical, immoral and anti-human by general public. And anyone can foresee that, it won't have much of a shot on surviving through its very first stage of public voting. But if let's say, by some unexplained mysterious force, this piece passed and is in effect. With a few tries and some collateral mortality, any wannabe kidnappers would learn that, hostages are no longer their chips, authorities would shoot indiscriminately. This makes kidnapping utterly pointless, thus in the long run, saving lives. Sadly, that unexplained mysterious force does not exist. We have our democracy gets in our way.  So I guess we are stuck in a world where hostage situation is still paradoxical and lethal.

　　如果我们起草一份法案，在法案里将人质定义为已被歹徒杀害，虽然实际上他们可能并未死亡，在这同时，赋予有关当局自由射杀歹徒控制区域内包括人质在内任何人的权利。那么，这份法案将会被大众视为不道德，无人性，甚至反人类。任何人都能预见，这样的法案要是公众来投票，第一轮就会被否决掉。但是，如果我们假设，在一股未知神秘力量的帮助下，这份法案通过了投票并正式立法。用不了绑匪的几次以身试法，任何其他潜在的绑匪都会明白，人质已经不再是他们的筹码了，有关当局已经不再援救人质或斡旋谈判而全部进行绞杀。这直接导致绑架这种行为变得完全多余。长远看来，反倒会拯救更多生命。不幸的是，上述的那股未知的神秘力量只存在于我们的想象中，所以，拜民主所赐，我们基本上就只能生活在这个人质绑架案仍然这么矛盾和致命的世界里。

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