Tough. I am glad to hear that she managed to survive, though not unscathed. BTW, Malcolm Gladwell has a new book on this exact subject. It's called Outliers.
One of the contractors in my Division was struck by a car.... while in a clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk.... wearing bright, obvious clothing in early morning daylight... at around 30mph (apparently she flew some 10 ft in the air when hit). Luckily she was not killed (though 2 hip bones and her femur were busted. She was in surgery the next day to have pins put in).
It does make one pause. That sheer dumb, random chance that will strike you, even if you do everything right and still have something bad happen to you. I think this one of the most frustrating things about the world we live in. That luck plays such a factor (not that I am one to complain... I would say that I am a pretty lucky guy).
The funniest thing is that so few people are even willing to acknowledge that luck plays a factor in their lives. So many people claim that their rewards/results were from hard work, dedication and their own skill. But when it comes down to it those items just facilitated an environment that enabled them to fully exploit the opportunity that was presented to them. If they didn't return that call, reply to that email, get that workout in (or heck, get born to the right parents or get the good DNA).. then the opportunity passed them by. But we as humans like to believe that we are in control, so we minimize the fact that there is so much out there that is out of our control...
BTW, the coworker? Just got out of the hospital today... And promptly slipped and fell again. (nothing major, still went home)
"The Universe is Random"
3 Comments -
Tough. I am glad to hear that she managed to survive, though not unscathed. BTW, Malcolm Gladwell has a new book on this exact subject. It's called Outliers.
3:20 PM
Poor coworker. I was almost hit the other day walking home from work- the taxis in DC are DEADLY.
9:24 AM
That's insane. And sad. :(
10:46 AM