I survived, so it must be safe

It's prolific on Facebook: "Share if you _____ and survived."

      Drank from a hose.

      Rode in the back of a pickup truck.

      Drank lots of soda.

      Biked without a helmet.

      Didn't wear a seatbelt.

How about, "Share if you got into a car accident, were thrown through the windshield because you weren't wearing a seatbelt, and died a tragic death." Oh wait, you can't.

The risks involved in a behavior cannot be determined by popular vote among the living and healthy. It's a matter of data and analysis. One must consider how frequently harm occurs and with what severity.

Friends, your survival isn't an indication of the safety of the activity. It's a cause to be thankful for your well-being:

      Be thankful that you didn't get lead poisoning from your garden hose.

      Be thankful that you weren't thrown from the back of a pickup truck.

      Be thankful that your genetic makeup gives you strong teeth.

      Be thankful that you didn't suffer brain injury from a biking accident.

      Be thankful that you weren't involved in an automobile collision.

I'm not here to tell you to wear helmets and seatbelts and only drink purified water. Parents, I'm not going to tell you how to raise your children or how much supervision you need to exercise over them. These are your choices to make.

But let's stop this Facebook campaign for the "good old days" of risk ignorance. To imply that an action is safe because you are unscathed is illogical at best, and callous at worst. 

Do what you will, but respect the risk tolerance level of others- whether it is higher or lower than your own.