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Consequences ...

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by keys, Dec 6, 2018.

  1. keys United Kingdom

    keys Well-Known Member

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    My thought for the day (distraction from a tedious database update)

    Most people are aware that consumption of alcohol can result in serious injury or illness. Examples of this are common, so we might say the risks are obvious.

    The correlation between quantity consumed and risk is much less apparent. An alarming effect of alcohol is to impair judgment, boosting confidence and drastically reducing risk awareness, leading to reckless behaviour. A small measure can be enough to trigger this downward spiral.

    Seemingly minor issues can have drastic and unforseen consequences. I was away from home for a couple of weeks and lost a credit card. As a consequence, I would have been driving without insurance, facing the various costs and penalties. Saved only by fortunate timing.

    How so? Default autorenew by insurers, payment card cancelled, no payment, insurance cover ends.

    I came across an example at the extreme end of the scale.

    On 23 March 1994, a senior pilot flying a new Airbus 310-300, with three other pilots and passengers, invited his children into the cockpit. Shortly afterwards the plane crashed killing everyone onboard.

    The children did not directly cause the crash, but a sequence of events left the pilots unable to regain control of the aircraft, due to unfamiliar circumstances.

    The subsequent investigation recommended additional pilot training to cope with unusual situations. Sadly, they also concluded that autopilot would have recovered normal flight, if the pilots had not switched it off.

    As a consequence of this event, and in common with most air disasters, regular air travel safety has improved.
     
  2. Domain Forum

    Acorn Domains Elite Member

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    IWA Meetup
     
  3. crabfoot United Kingdom

    crabfoot Active Member

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    Yright. I know of a bloke who was scratched by a kitten - gangrene set in and he lost his leg.

    Tiny actions can have strange consequences.
     
  4. WMD40 United Kingdom

    WMD40 Member

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    I tried to read that but couldn't help thinking you wrote that whilst high.
     
  5. keys United Kingdom

    keys Well-Known Member

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    Fair comment, to some extent.

    Abbreviated text is not any easy read, but I think the message is evident. Writing to a good standard, would require more effort and a lot more words - I have other things to do. I am not trying to promote anything, it is just food for thought.

    Consequence is a boring subject, rather like insurance, until there is a serious problem or liability. Risk assessment and insurance cover are now essential for most organised activities. For individuals it is a mindset, matter of choice, somewhere between indifferent/carefree and cautious. A little thought or preparation may save a whole lot of grief later.

    Indirect consequences can extend like roots of a tree. For example, lose driving licence, lose job, accumulate debt, lose house and so on.

    "Act in haste and repent at leisure"
     
  6. dee

    dee Well-Known Member Acorn Supporter

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    I think as a whole the last couple of generations have been scare mongered by the press/media to worry too much about everything. I'm not saying your comments about consequences aren't right of course, but you can also spend your whole life worrying about stuff to the extent it makes people not leave the house. Don't let your kids play in the mud.... germs. Don't look at anyone in the eye on the tube.... rapists. Don't let you kids out on their own until they are teenagers....there are gangs of weirdos driving around in vans waiting to snatch them.

    It's all a bit of a lottery and you can only do the best you can given current information. Of course I agree that if you decide to try parachuting of a bridge whilst drunk using a bedsheet, then roll on Darwinian theory.

    https://darwinawards.com
     
  7. keys United Kingdom

    keys Well-Known Member

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    From a media outlet point of view No news is good news, because bad news and controversy attract way more attention and sales. Hence, more news presents an alarming perception of our society and other countries.

    Aside from obviously stupid and careless behaviour, there there are many bad situations that could be avoided with small changes "if only ..."

    Does anyone else have examples of hindsight and regret?
     
  8. crabfoot United Kingdom

    crabfoot Active Member

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    Someone I used to work with had some strange ideas - he would have been a stuntman, but he couldn't break into the real biz, although he was on a TV show once, called Don't Try This At Home or something similar, jumping off a tall building.

    One of his dream concepts was to water-ski behind a channel ferry. He told everyone at work about that idea. Unfortunately someone wanted to try it out, and died in the attempt.

    You have to be careful when you express your ideas - not everybody has judgement capacity.