Florence Child Dies in Tractor Accident

[rtimgray]

"Critical Thinking"...disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.

Which is why Monday Morning Quarterbacks always would have won Sunday Nights game. It's easy to say what should have been done when the outcome is known.

I can understand both points of view presented in this thread. Of course things can always turn out differently if we did stuff differently to start with. How many times have any or all of us done something stupid and gotten away with it. I'm sure if folks could step into a time machine and go back, they would fix it. It is terrible to have to learn a lesson this way. Hopefully, others can learn from this example.

No matter what I might personally think about a situation, I don't think I would ever tell a family that lost a child in such a manner "Wow - that was stupid." I'm sure that they realize that there is fault to be had and the burden of that is punishment enough without other folks saying "I told you so"

Good luck and take care.

 

[BoonDoc]

As someone who has also suffered the sudden loss of a young child, I can imagine the agonizing days ahead. As we are the caretakers of our little ones, when the years pass and life slowly moves on, the hardest part will be forgiving themselves. It's a hard sentence to bear. My heart goes out to them.

 

[NHmitch]

Have they set up any type of fund for the family?

 

[Mace Canute]

"Critical Thinking"...disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.

Which is why Monday Morning Quarterbacks always would have won Sunday Nights game. It's easy to say what should have been done when the outcome is known. ......

If you had practiced "Critical Thinking", you wouldn't have said that.

 

[sixdogs]

What a terrible accident and one I heve read too many times over my lifetime. Life is so precious, especially for little kids and one of the roles of the prior generations is to protect those unable to protect themselves and teach those that need it.
Whatever the cause, these poor parents and all involved will think of this nightmarish chain of events every day for the resy of their lives, And as stupid and preventable as it is, I'll bet they would be willing to trade places with the child.

 

[swick1]

If you had practiced "Critical Thinking", you wouldn't have said that.

Mace I wish you would leave your God bashing out of this. Sure, we can't rely on God to fix our problems. Self reliance and maturing as a son or daughter of God are a really important part of our time on the Earth and often overlooked by preachers that just tell people what they want to hear (televangelists mostly) but it has been proven that prayer helps people heal faster and has a real measurable benefit whether those prayers are answered or not.

Maybe it isn't your intention to do so but you always seem to be posting discouraging remarks in these threads. We should all use our reasoning to make good choices and I'm glad you do that. Maybe God isn't real but if he is then you are going to be in trouble for saying this kind of stuff so frequently. He may give you a good spanking when you return home!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal's_Wager

 

[rtimgray]

If you had practiced "Critical Thinking", you wouldn't have said that.

The hole in this logic, Mace, is that even with critical thinking, one can still arrive at an incorrect answer. The folks in question may have applied critical thinking and arrived at the conclusion that their decision was the right one. Since you have all the facts regarding this situation, it is simple to point out faults. I have no idea if the child often rode along on the tractor/mower or not, and I'm not going to judge whether it was the right decision or not.

There is nothing wrong with critical thinking; I agree that we should practice it more often. However, we are all faulted and by no means should be assume that just because we critically think about something that we will always make the right decision.

Critical think this situation: The town I live in has not had a homicide in the last 12 years. Does this mean we are safe forever....or are we due for one? Use clear, rational, open-minded, informed-by-evidence thought and tell me your answer.

Obviously, it could be either, because there are many unpredictable factors at play, and it only takes one to change the answer one way or the other - the same could be true of almost any situation.

Again, nothing wrong with critical thinking, but I would not be making these same type of statements to folks who are experiencing the current situation. That is not my style, though apparently it is yours. And as it commonly said, we can just agree to disagree and if you can live with it, I can live without it.

Good luck and take care.

 

[sixdogs]

There are no atheists in foxholes.

 

[madmax12]

There are no atheists in foxholes.

That would show a lack of critical thinking. Getting in a foxhole vs being shot.... Well, that's an easy decision. U would think a critical thinking atheist would be smarter than that. Go figure.

 

[Mace Canute]

Coming from a career as a Lineman for a electric utility, I guess Critical Thinking was ingrained into me at a very early point in my apprenticeship. I guess you could call it "Think or Die" for short. No hind sight or Monday morning quarterbacking involved. Thinking ahead, yes. Nothing says that you are guaranteed to never make mistakes practicing CT, but you certainly do eliminate the vast majority of them and by looking around and educating yourself about what has happened to other people in similar situations one is supposed to learn from their mistakes. Doing the same thing they did and expecting a different result is not rational.

swick1, as far as god bashing goes, I never mentioned anything about anybody's god let alone bashed anyone about their beliefs. You imagined it.

 

[rtimgray]

Doing the same thing they did and expecting a different result is not rational.

So by that logic, if they had been letting the child ride along in the past, then there should be nothing wrong with doing it again.

Excellent example of critical thinking.

 

[rd_macgregor]

...Or even if they see the neighbour's kids have ridden along on the mower and not suffered from it yet.
If you asked a parent if it was safe to do that, I bet most would admit it isn't really. Still, many would do it thinking "I'm more careful" or "I can do it safely". We all take calculated risks everyday, but the consequences of taking this kind of risk are just too horrible to contemplate.
Its really a bit late for these folks (and all we can do is extend sympathy), but its worth it for the rest of us to take the hard lesson to heart.
I have to support Mace here: think ahead and visualize the worst that can happen, then take action (or avoid bad decisions) so the worst can't happen. This is a habit that is worth cultivating for your own safety and to avoid a lifetime of self-recrimination and regret.
BOB

 

[Mace Canute]

So by that logic, if they had been letting the child ride along in the past, then there should be nothing wrong with doing it again.

Excellent example of critical thinking.

Once again you prove you don't know what "Critical Thinking" is.

 

[Mikeeemo]

I understand what Mace is saying.



About 12 years ago, i got involved with tractors. I was doing a lot of research regarding tractors, implements & methods when i read a report. It was about a guy that gave in to the pleas and let his son ride on the fender while mowing.
The fender broke off and his son fell in to the mower. The report was very detailed and graphic in nature. It got MY attention. I sat down with my young son and explained that we would not be riding the tractor together.

I had considered finding a way for him to ride, prior to that day. It could have been me, or him.
Myself and others pass this kind of info on in efforts to try and prevent tragedy.

My heart aches for that family.

I hope they have the strength to pickup and move forward.

With respect,

Mike

 

[Downeyfire]

First my respect and thoughts to the family.
Now to the meat of it.
Critical thinking. Really. So all the nah Sayers have never done anything that the next day thought back and said that was dumb or when did you all start wearing seatbelts? When it became a law??? How about when you were kids and went on a family trip and played in the back of the car unrestrained.
Accidents are part of life. Without them we don't learn. I see terrible stupid accidents everyday I'm at work. Most due to someone knew better but due to human nature choose poorly and now someone somewhere will grief or be in pain.
I'm not a religious man but I do believe in right and wrong and he who lives in glass houses shouldn't through stones.
And I will be the first to admit I am guilty of allowing my children ride with me while on tractor. Do I know better yes! Do I love to see the joy on their faces as we drive around yes! My children will not live in a plastic bubble. I raise them as I was raised and don't believe my childhood was overly dangerous. I know many will condemn me for my statement but it is wrong to even consider that the poor mother of this child ever had any thought as to the danger.
Excuse my rant but an accident it is.

 

[/pine]

I wish they would quit referring to these as "accidents". That word gives some people the impression that "nothing could be done to prevent it" when in fact one simple thing could have been done to prevent it...not letting the kid ride along!

Exactly...the "mother"should be charged...there is no excuse...

It is going to take something similar to MADD to bring awareness...you can't fix stupidity...

 

[Downeyfire]

Yup more big government to protect us.

 

[/pine]

Yup more big government to protect us.

What in the #$%& does government have to do with intelligence? (other than the lack there of by the electorate)

When was the last time you read *all* the safety precautions that came with any tool or piece of equipment?

Those precautions are written to protect people from their own ignorance and stupidity (which is to blame for this and similar occurrences)...they are mandated by manufacturer insurance not the gov.

The problem is you can't fix stupidity...but you can fix ignorance...

 

[Downeyfire]

Government or other groups (MADD) should not mandate freedom of choice weather it be ignorance or other.
And I read all my Manuel's to all equipment I use and own and stare at the idiot labels that are plastered on everything due to people spilling hot coffee in their lap at the drive thru of any McDonalds and suing. Or how they put engine kill switchs on mowers so you can't mow backwards.
All the labels and Manuel's in the world will not stop bad choices. I really don't want anymore governing of my equipment.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Pascal's Wager - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am always surprised when people bring up Pascal's Wager as a serious argument, given how easy it is to discredit it. There is even a section in the very Wikipedia page you link, called "Criticism".

Pascal's Wager - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's also interesting to me that people consistently omit this part of Pascal's Wager:

If there is a God, He is infinitely incomprehensible, since, having neither parts nor limits, He has no affinity to us. We are then incapable of knowing either what He is or if He is....

In other words, American Christians hold up Pascal's Wager as argument that their God should be believed in, but the Wager itself contains the premise that all of the Christian beliefs about the specific nature of God must be rejected as totally invalid. Oops.

There are no atheists in foxholes.

Demonstrably untrue.

There are no atheists in foxholes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia