I suppose that we don't have to be too worried about the day to day things that we do, that are dangerous. Not when there are people who are actively trying to remove themselves from the gene pool...
I gave myself a scare this afternoon. I was collecting up some tools to do a job when I dropped a chisel. As it hurtled down towards my foot, the sharpest edge turned downwards with a view to severing a toe oe two because I was wearing sandals. I managed to move my foot out of the way by a hair's breadth and it missed me. All of this happened in a split second or less but I had terrible visions of losing a joint or cutting some veins or worse still, an artery but this is the sort of risk we all take, every day. For us in the United Kingdom, the chances of being trampled by a rogue hippopotamus or savaged by a tiger are almost non-existent but we have our own risk set that we casually ignore even though the consequences of doing so could be just as deadly as fighting with a hungry and angry grizzly bear. Let's start the day with the humble alarm clock shall we? It goes off all of a sudden and makes me jump. My pulse quickens, blood pressure increases, insulin and adrenaline flows and I am ready to indulge in the fright, flight, fight or shite reaction that adrenaline brings on. That momentary burst of waking is enough to pop off those with a weaker constitution than mine. Next, we get up and go downstairs. Seriously? I am half asleep and I walk down a steep flight of stairs clutching a drinking glass in one hand and usually something else (mobile phone or book for example) in the other. It would take so little to stumble and hurl myself several feet downwards using up all that potential energy stored by climbing upwards the previous night. Then it is into the kitchen and start boiling a kettle. Lots of threats there then; hot water and sleepiness... not a good mix. Slicing some bread for Donna's sandwiches... With a knife that advertises itself as being made from the finest surgical steel? It is asking for a disaster to happen in one's slightly groggy and somnolent state. Getting into the shower... water and electricity... a good mix... NOT! Shaving; getting razor sharp slivers of metal near to one's jugular vein? Mmmhmmm. I won't even go on about driving a ton and a half of assorted metal and plastic with a tank full of explosive and flammable liquid inside it, at speed, to take Donna to the station. You see, our days are numbered and we seem intent on finding new ways to injure and incapacitate ourselves. Perhaps being threatened by a rogue hippo might not be such a bad thing after all. I suppose that we don't have to be too worried about the day to day things that we do, that are dangerous. Not when there are people who are actively trying to remove themselves from the gene pool... Comments are closed.
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May 2015
AuthorPaul Everest - Shining wit (at least that is what I think they said) |