In most cases, a little foresight and preparation is all that is needed to avert tragedy. Where we humans seem to land ourselves in trouble again and again is when we blindly jump off cliffs without knowing how far we must fall. I bring this up because of a tragedy that occurred in Louisiana yesterday in which 6 teenagers drowned in the Red River.
It was a hot day. Several teenagers with adult supervision descended upon a popular place on the Red River. To escape the searing heat, several of the youths went wading in the cool water. Unfortunately, while splashing around, they inadvertently moved from a shallow area to a deep drop-off. And here's the key point: NONE of the victims nor any of the other participants knew how to swim!
I don't know how many similar incidents I read about each summer. People go wading in lakes or streams and take to the waters in boats, yet despite the fact so many of these people do not know how to stay afloat or swim, no one thinks to wear a life jacket or have flotation devices at hand.
Think about this for a moment. It's like starting a huge bonfire without a fire extinguisher or any water handy. It's like charging into battle without first determining if your weapon is loaded with ammunition. It's like drilling for oil in 5,000 feet of water without having a realistic disaster plan in place.
In each of these situations, nothing bad may happen. Things may go along just swell. However, if something occurs that was not anticipated -- the river bottom drops off, the fire rages out of control, you can't fire back while the other side is firing upon you or your oil rig explodes -- the lack of proper foresight and preparation may place you and countless others in harm's way.
I do not write these words as a way of saying that these teenagers got what they deserved. My heart goes out to their friends and families. These teenagers are no more guilty than each of us, since this problem is shared by us all. We each jump into situations and relationships without preparing ourselves adequately and there but for fortune go you or I.
My hope is that news of this nature serves as yet another wake-up call to the rest of us. Meeting life unprepared can have tragic consequences.
Will we heed the lesson these 6 youths have offered us with their very lives?
It was a hot day. Several teenagers with adult supervision descended upon a popular place on the Red River. To escape the searing heat, several of the youths went wading in the cool water. Unfortunately, while splashing around, they inadvertently moved from a shallow area to a deep drop-off. And here's the key point: NONE of the victims nor any of the other participants knew how to swim!
I don't know how many similar incidents I read about each summer. People go wading in lakes or streams and take to the waters in boats, yet despite the fact so many of these people do not know how to stay afloat or swim, no one thinks to wear a life jacket or have flotation devices at hand.
Think about this for a moment. It's like starting a huge bonfire without a fire extinguisher or any water handy. It's like charging into battle without first determining if your weapon is loaded with ammunition. It's like drilling for oil in 5,000 feet of water without having a realistic disaster plan in place.
In each of these situations, nothing bad may happen. Things may go along just swell. However, if something occurs that was not anticipated -- the river bottom drops off, the fire rages out of control, you can't fire back while the other side is firing upon you or your oil rig explodes -- the lack of proper foresight and preparation may place you and countless others in harm's way.
I do not write these words as a way of saying that these teenagers got what they deserved. My heart goes out to their friends and families. These teenagers are no more guilty than each of us, since this problem is shared by us all. We each jump into situations and relationships without preparing ourselves adequately and there but for fortune go you or I.
My hope is that news of this nature serves as yet another wake-up call to the rest of us. Meeting life unprepared can have tragic consequences.
Will we heed the lesson these 6 youths have offered us with their very lives?
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