Recklessness can be disastrous.

Youth is a time of recklessness. It is the time when a person believes he/she can be capable of many things and wishes to test the limits. It is the time of discovery. It is the time to prepare a person to know himself/herself, his strength and his weakness. It is the time to try everything possible before the responsibilities of adulthood and family brings maturity and caution. In maturity, knowledge of self would bring wisdom in adult and family decisions.

There was once a youth who could be said to be adventurous, ever ready to try out things, to test his very own limits.

One of the limits, he tested was his motorcycle’s speed limit. He knew he had to do it on a fairly straight road without much traffic to disrupt his activity. He went to a road on the outskirts of town.

There, he had a good look around to ensure the place was perfect for his intended purpose. Satisfied, he crank-started his motorcycle and raced it along that road. Then at a corner, he slowed a little and went into it with his body aligned to the vehicle to achieved the delicate balance necessary as the bike sheered into the turn with one of the foot-rests almost scrapping the road surface. Immediately thereafter, he straightened out and accelerated ahead.

Nothing can be planned totally. There are always other factors involved. The truth of these statements was soon demonstrated through the appearance of the unknown factor, a dog. Where it came from, no one would know. It rushed out straight into the path of the racing bike. Reacting to the dog’s sudden appearance, he braked but it was just too late. There was a loud crash; a yelping of the hurt dog and the sight of a body thrown upwards and forwards. His arms reached out even as his body was propelled forward through the air. As his hands felt the surface of the road, his body curled up into a ball. Then, momentum carried his body forward, rolling again and again, gradually slowing down after a certain distance. He rolled up onto his feet. He examined his arms and body. Nothing. Only bruises on the palms. He was lucky. Walking to his bike, he found that one of the forks of his bike was damaged. So was the rim of the front wheel.

Fortunately, it had not cost him his life. It was at a speed which could have killed. His only lost was a big sum of money to repair his motorcycle.
The dog had run off; home possibly. The animal was not in sight. He could not find out its injury. The crash could also have cost the dog its life. That was something he would never know.

However, he understood something after this particular accident. He would not want it to happen again. He had lost a big sum of money. A dog could have been the victim of his carelessness. Whatever pain the dog suffered was due to his reckless action. He would not want to tempt fate again. He realised it could have been the end of his life. Worst, it could have left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. That image of the possible consequence of his recklessness ensured his caution and thoughtfulness in almost every action in his life thereafter.

Knowledge through experience is a powerful tool.