WOW let's be careful out there!

[Pax]

YIKES! Never thought I'd hear such cynicism here.

People make mistakes everyday, we forget to turn off the coffee maker so our house catches fire...well we shouldn't have left it on in the first place. We think the track is clear, we've had a hellish day /or/ we're running late for work (and might get fired if we're late again) so we look around and make a dash for it...well we broke the rules so no compassion for this lost life.


Maybe the person collecting cans along the track was living in poverty and was at least trying to make a little money buy picking up gross old cans. Their DEATH delayed your trip 5 hours and you feel no compassion?

I don't understand people who've lost their compassion.

[bentforlife]

Every human life is precious. It doesn't matter how that life was ended, it is still a person who lived, breathed, and important in some way to this world.

As a Christian I'm a little appalled at the remarks I see concerning this. We all make stupid mistakes and yes, sometimes fatal mistakes. We should all mourn at least in some way when a tragedy like this occurrs.

Donna

[betagirl]

What good does your lost job or collected cans do you if you're dead? What if that cyclist caused the engineer to derail the train and commuters were killed in the process? We could get real deep into who should feel bad for whom here with many "what ifs". I guess my opinion just makes me a heartless, noncompassionate, non-christian. That's cool

[Pax]

Interesting turn for a thread that was simply encouraging people to be careful.

I'm not a christian either and my point about compassion is simply an outgrowth of my own personal requirements for MY life. I strive to live my life with honor and compassion, those are two very fundamental cornerstones of my life. When I feel my compassion slipping (since I work in welfare this happens A LOT), I have to look at the people around me and realize that if I lose my ability to feel compassion then I become someone I don't want to be.

Yes the person who went around the flashing lights and the person picking up cans were doing something they shouldn't have been doing...this doesn't mean their death was "deserved". Again, feeling compassion doesn't mean excusing behavior.

[betagirl]

Hey Queen, I understand what you're saying. But I don't think because I voiced the one opinion I did makes me completely without compassion. It's not a black and white area of life. I don't consider myself completely altruistic. If I did, I wouldn't make comments like I have. But that doesn't mean I go home and kick my dog either

[Crankin]

I guess it does sound mean and i certainly don't wish someone to die, but these kinds of accidents are just like when they report on a traffic accident death.... and the victim was not wearing a seatbelt. I understand that someone in poverty might need to pick up cans, but don't do it around a parked train!!! Most of these things happen because someone was in a hurry. Safety is always first. It goes along with the helmet issue, listening to music, etc. It's hard for me to feel bad for someone who doesn't follow the basic safety rules in any aspect of life.

[singletrackmind]

A college girl in MO lost part of her leg and her jaw was broken among other critical injuries when she was hit by a car and sent under a utility truck. It took a quarter hour to extract her. She ran a red light.

What I got from Queen's post was to think a bit about the rules that some of us riders tend to skirt. Like stopping at lights when you don't think there are any cars-or in Queen's post, trains. Like Denise, I feel awful for the people I believe to be the victims of both these crashes, the drivers of the vehicles that resulted in the ruin. I don't think I'd ever be the same person again even though it wouldn't have been my fault. I feel terrible for the family members of the deceased and the broken. I think about how often I am tempted to-and occasionally have-broken the rules too and am glad I haven't met the same fate. Betagirl's right, it is a bit of Darwinism. Not on the awards level by any means but I don't think it's harsh to point that out. I certainly don't believe either person "deserved" their fate but they each laid an easily avoidable path to it. Queen's right too, be careful out there. Don't be a victim of yourself just from neglecting simple safety rules, like the 'don't use your hands and bodyweight to unclog the tree grinding machine'! THAT happens disturbingly often.

Ok, now I'm just rambling...