When Donegal lost their all-Ireland gaelic football final on Sunday, one of the first questions manager Jim McGuinness was asked was if he would take the job on next year. Well, he said, he would reflect on things. This was a decision that shouldn’t be taken on emotion.

It is a perfectly sensible approach.

In life, however, it’s not always possible to separate the heart and the head. Particularly when it comes to some of the weighty matters for those in positions of responsibility.

A few weeks ago, I was shocked and abhorred by the story of child abuse in Rotherham in England. A report showed that over a period of time at least 1,400 children in the area were subject to appalling sex abuse, with kids as young as 11 brutally raped.

Local Council leader Roger Stone did the honourable thing and stepped down. Others weren’t so accountable. Despite calls for them to go, Police Commissioner Shaun Wright and the head of social services Joyce Thacker (on £115,000 a year) clung to their posts. But the emotional reactions of victims’ families at a public meeting proved too much. I saw one woman in absolute bits shouting at those in authority and one grandfather told Mr. Wright: “If I had a gun I would shoot you.” Eventually, the pair were forced out. But it took the righteous anger of those most deeply affected to do so.

I’ve also been reading about the case of Peter McAneney, a 21-year-old County Armagh man admitted to hospital for an ear operation in December 2012. Three weeks later he was dead, and it would appear that there are serious questions to answer about his treatment, including interestingly about his fluid management.

But the Southern Trust didn’t undertake an investigation for seven months, and then under pressure. His family have described their situation as a “living nightmare” and their quest to find out what happened was hampered by the lack of response from trust officials.

Peter’s mother said: “I suppose the last couple of years the silence of the trust has been really deafening.” It is, of course, a public interest issue of holding hospitals and health trusts to account when things go wrong, and such matters should be looked at rationally. But does it not make you angry the way families continue to be treated with such uncaring disdain? Or do you simply shrug and hope it doesn’t happen to you.

It’s interesting, is it not, that when it comes to flags there’s plenty of blood boiling; but in matters of life and death we can pass by on the other side.

While not life-threatening, the future of our schools has rightly got the pulses racing too. None more so than the proposed merger of Enniskillen Collegiate and Portora with the row hitting the Assembly this week.

It’s not a row, some might sniffily say.

It is. And if you read my article about population shifts and social changes elsewhere in this newspaper, this is a row that runs deep.

And emotions are running high because it means a lot to people on both sides of the argument.

I haven’t really expressed an opinion either way; for a number of reasons. Firstly, when I was editor of this newspaper I felt on this occasion it was important to take up a neutral position and let everyone who wanted to have their say. And I know that the editor today is very principled and fair-minded and is doing exactly that. It’s always ironic that when you don’t take up a position, some people automatically take it that you’re against them.

I can also see both sides of the arguments. The Collegiate is a successful school academically, over-subscribed and a good example of single sex education benefitting girls for generations. But with dwindling numbers, there is an argument that a new amalgamated school would provide wonderful new opportunities.

Those last couple of sentences aren’t meant to summarise the whole debate; it’s just that, heck, I don’t know which is best. I have a son at Portora and a daughter at the Collegiate; and my older daughter and son also went to the schools. All four have done well and enjoyed (I think!) the experience and environment.

I hate people who sit on the fence and “don’t get involved” but in this case I genuinely am torn.

What I do know is that the Western Education and Library Board has made a pig’s ear of this whole process for years, and that the future of Devenish College shouldn’t depend on it either.

And now, sadly, the issue enters the political arena. As if there hasn’t been enough controversy locally and enough patronising attitude from some of the protagonists.

The debate need not be entirely cold; traditions, community, family ties and many other factors cannot be ignored. We’re not robots and certain things are important to us. This is a matter of head AND heart.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, though, we should remember that a decision needs to be taken in the best interests of our children and future generations.