I’m not sure where this came from, but it certainly communicates how poor we are at assessing true risk.
As human beings, we pride ourselves on being the only species that understands the concept of risk. Yet we have a contradictory habit of worrying about mere possibilities while ignoring probabilities—of building barricades against perceived dangers while leaving ourselves exposed to real ones.
For example, we agonize over the avian flu, which [as of December 2006] had killed precisely no one in the U.S. However, we have to be cajoled into getting vaccinated for the common flu, which contributes to the deaths of 36,000 Americans each year.
Some of us, motivated by the fear of flying, routinely choose the car when traveling long distances, heedless of the fact that only a few hundred people die in U.S. commercial airline crashes in a year, compared with 44,000 killed in motor-vehicle wrecks.
We wring our hands over the mad cow pathogen that probably is not in our hamburger, yet worry far less about the cholesterol that contributes to the heart disease that kills 700,000 of us annually.
Shoppers still look askance at a bag of spinach for fear of E. coli bacteria while filling their carts with fat-sodden French fries and salt-crusted nachos.
We put filters on faucets, install air ionizers in our homes, and lather ourselves with antibacterial soap. At the same time, 20 percent of all adults still smoke; nearly 20 percent of drivers and more than 30 percent of backseat passengers don’t use seatbelts; and two-thirds of us are overweight or obese.
It’s confusing – we worry about the long-shot risks and ignore the more at-hand risks.
The last time I checked, the statistics on death were 100%. Everyone alive will spend far more time in the afterlife than in this life – and yet, so many give no thought to what they will say when they find themselves before the Judge. That is a risk no sane person would take – and yet, so many do.
To anyone reading this blog – I encourage you to think: what will I say to God when I find myself before Him? My recommendation is – check out http://www.whoisjesus-really.com
