Surviving due to your own stupidity

[Such Irony]

Sounds ironic doesn't it? I appreciate irony like my username but not this sort of irony.

Here's an example of how one could survive due to stupidity.

Suppose you watch the news and hear about a plane crash that kills everyone aboard. You were supposed to be on that flight. But you weren't because you did something dumb like lose your boarding pass, overslept, or you were too sick to go because you were so hungover from drinking too much the night before.

How would you react to this? Would you think you were supposed to be dead, especially because you would be dead had it not been for that stupid error? Or would you think there was some intervention from God, that God intended this to happen, wanting you to go on with your life? Or would you suspect some intuition manifesting itself unconsciously so that something would get in the way of you getting on that flight?

Personally I think neither or these. I think it's just dumb luck. Yet at the same time, I can't accept that on an emotional level. Honestly, the thought of surviving only due to some dumb error I made would likely drive me to suicide. If I'm going to survive, it's got to be for a good reason, and stupidity doesn't cut it. For those that don't believe in God or some higher power, how do you reconcile those thoughts? Could you cope with that?

 

[WhoCares]

If stupidity was going to drive me to suicide I'd be humus by now. I am congenitally stupid when you think anout my actions. I get by the same way others do, by telling myself its synchronicity. If I do end up killing myself darwin style I wont be here to think about it aferwards.

 

[Mole]

If I'm going to survive, it's got to be for a good reason, and stupidity doesn't cut it. For those that don't believe in God or some higher power, how do you reconcile those thoughts? Could you cope with that?

By studying the mathematical branch of Statistics.

Mathematical Statistics will open our eyes to the world around us.

Statistics is an antidote to superstition.

 

[prplchknz]

I guess live in ignorance of your stupidity? or that might kill you. stupidity will ultimately kill you so gain knowledge to prevent death

 

[Mole]

Bye the bye, to understand Psychometrics it is necessary to understand Mathematical Statistics.

And without understanding Mathematical Statistics, mbti is merely superstition like astrology.

 

[garbage]

Is it Karmic balance? The saving hand of God? Nah, it's dumb luck. Coincidence. Simple cause and effect that doesn't particularly give a damn about us.*

But everyone reaps the benefits of dumb luck once in a while. I'd consider it a second (third? fourth!?) chance, extract my lesson from the experience, revel in the shock and awe of what could have been, feel for the souls who weren't so dumb and suffered as a result, and move on.

 

[PeaceBaby]

An ancient Chinese story as told by Anthony de Mello in "The Song of the Bird":

There once was a simple farmer who lived and struggled alongside his neighbours and friends, trying to exist and fulfil a peaceful life. One day news arrived from far away, that his old loving father had died. His neighbours gathered to grieve, but the farmer simply said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

In time relatives brought a very fine horse of great cost and fine breeding, left to the farmer by his father. All the villagers and neighbours gathered in delight with him to celebrate his good fortune, but he just said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer’s neighbours sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck?

Who knows?
​

 

[Mole]

Is it Karmic balance? The saving hand of God? Nah, it's dumb luck. Coincidence. Simple cause and effect that doesn't particularly give a damn about us.*

But everyone reaps the benefits of dumb luck once in a while. I'd consider it a second (third? fourth!?) chance, extract my lesson from the experience, revel in the shock and awe of what could have been, feel for the souls who weren't so dumb and suffered as a result, and move on.

It is only naive gamblers who believe in luck - and they are legion.

But there are those of us who know that chance can be calculated with astounding accuracy with mathematical statistics.

 

[skylights]

I think I would feel very lucky and grateful for the opportunity to keep living. I would feel horrible for the others and I would strive to do something in their honor. It would be very unlikely for me to chalk it up to intuition unless there was some very clear reason to attribute it to that, but I might wonder about the overall progression of the universe and why it was not my time to go.

Why be so hard on yourself, though? Maybe it's not natural selection the way we tend to picture it, but that happens in nature, too. Some things are just correlation and coincidence. There's no reason to blame yourself for the whims of fate.

 

[gingerdust]

This thread reminds me of a movie one of my professors mentioned: Idiocracy … never seen it, but seems relevant… and highly realistic in a way.

 

[ndovjtjcaqidthi]

I guess live in ignorance of your stupidity? or that might kill you. stupidity will ultimately kill you so gain knowledge to prevent death

Best post in this thread.

 

[prplchknz]

Best post in this thread.

it's completely true, what i said. Your opinion can be true as well if you want. unless it was sarcastic, then I'm not talking to you and I have retroactively ignored this post

 

[Typh0n]

I think its just a coincidence if that happened. I couldnt tell myself it was an act of god - why did god spare me and not everyone else? How could it be intuition - why doesnt everyone else have the same intiution before boarding the plane? etc.

 

[Snoopy22]

All the people who did not make it to their jobs at the World Trade Center on 9/11 (for whatever reasons) could answer that.

 

[Firebird 8118]

An ancient Chinese story as told by Anthony de Mello in "The Song of the Bird":

There once was a simple farmer who lived and struggled alongside his neighbours and friends, trying to exist and fulfil a peaceful life. One day news arrived from far away, that his old loving father had died. His neighbours gathered to grieve, but the farmer simply said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

In time relatives brought a very fine horse of great cost and fine breeding, left to the farmer by his father. All the villagers and neighbours gathered in delight with him to celebrate his good fortune, but he just said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

One day the horse escaped into the hills and when all the farmer’s neighbours sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbours congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”

Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck?

Who knows?
​

I've always loved that story. Thanks for sharing!

 

[entpersonal]

I guess live in ignorance of your stupidity? or that might kill you. stupidity will ultimately kill you so gain knowledge to prevent death

The environment in industrialized nations is pretty safe given a modicum of wit - i.e., avoiding traffic or hard drugs.

 

[prplchknz]

The environment in industrialized nations is pretty safe given a modicum of intelligence - i.e., avoiding running into traffic.

or run into traffic and pray the cars stop, I do that sometimes

 

[entpersonal]

or run into traffic and pray the cars stop, I do that sometimes

You're pushing your luck with that exercise, Junior.

 

[prplchknz]

You're pushing your luck with that exercise, Junior.

yeah but i accept that if i get hit i could die, and I'm ok with that

 

[entpersonal]

yeah but i accept that if i get hit i could die, and I'm ok with that

I can't really tell you how to live your life. We'll miss you.