Smartest Man in the World An old priest, a boy scout, the President, Bill Gates and the smartest man in the world are traveling in an airplane together. Without warning, the engines fail and the plane starts plummeting towards the earth. There is one problem: the plane is loaded with only 5 parachutes. Someone will have to stay on the plane and die. The pilot walks into the cabin and let's them know the situation. He silently grabs a parachute and jumps out. Bill Gates responds, ""Society still needs me for making the latest technology, I still have a ton of great ideas!"" So he grabs a parachute and jumps out. The smartest man in the world says, ""Hey I'm the smartest man in the world! Of *course* I'm needed!"" He grabs a parachute and jumps out. The President straightens his tie as he addresses the situation. ""I appreciate the sacrifice you are willing to make"" he says as he looks at the priest. He grabs a parachute and jumps out. The kind old priest turns to the boy scout, ""Please, take the last parachute. I have lived a fulfilled life and you deserve the same chance."" The boy scout looks up at the priest. ""Sir, we have two parachutes left. The smartest man in the world took my backpack.""