#1
Thank God I was a strong swimmer with water-safety and basic CPR/First Aid training!
#2
They took me to the auto parts store. They even bought the parts, because I'm an idiot 20 something F, with no brains or money. They brought me back to the car and put the parts on and wouldn't give me their phone numbers to pay them back. The only thing I know is that the drivers name was Terry. And that was top 3, the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me and I will never forget him. He told me that he hoped that if his daughter was ever in that situation, that a man would help her just the same. Looking back I'm grateful, but do not get into cars with strangers. Things could have ended very differently.
As humans, we make decisions constantly, often without even realizing it. From choosing what to wear in the morning to deciding when to catch the bus, our brains are always at work. Some choices are tiny and forgettable. Others are big and life-shaping, like taking out a loan or changing careers. Researchers estimate that the average adult makes around 35,000 decisions every single day. That’s a lot of mental effort. No wonder our brains get tired. And when they do, mistakes are bound to happen.
#4
I have found and disarmed 100s of IEDs (Improvised Esplosive Device). Used Metal detectors to find land mines. Used and handled detonation cord and C4.
#5
#6
This guy drove 100 mph on the Belt Pkwy and BQE cutting up traffic, inches away from other cars. I’ve never experienced anything like that. The pit I had in my stomach was literally screaming at me that I was going to die. Being a dumb 19 year old I just sat there and accepted my fate. Somehow we made it. I don’t know how or why we didn’t crash. The way he was driving was like something you’d see in a viral YouTube driving video straight out of Russia.
I found an excuse to leave early and took a yellow cab home with one of the other girls. Uber wasn’t as big then. That was the most cozy and comfy $100 I ever spent.
I’m 29 now and realize how stupid, dangerous, reckless, and just pure evil that kind of driving is.
Of course, not every decision we make is a good one. Some choices work out beautifully, while others leave us shaking our heads later. These are the decisions that make you replay the moment in your mind at 2 a.m. You wonder what you were thinking. You spot the red flags you somehow missed. Regret sneaks in quietly. We’ve all been there. Bad decisions are part of being human, even if they’re uncomfortable to admit.
#7
I was inside a laundromat that was on fire, and a ceiling full of dryer vents collapsed on me. Imagine being covered in red hot springs and burning wood. That was pretty concerning for a while. Lucky I had a good crew.
#8
#9
Edit: To put it differently, I enlisted into the military because I desperately needed dental care.
Often, bad decisions start with bad comparisons. Our brains love to compare things because it feels efficient. We judge value based on what’s placed next to what. For example, you might buy an overpriced item because it looks cheaper compared to an even more expensive one. Or you accept a bad job offer because it seems better than your current situation. The comparison skews your judgment. Suddenly, a poor option feels like a smart choice. Context can trick us more than we realize.
#10
I immediately ran into a group of really intimidating people who asking who the hell I was, then proceeded to want me to take video of them, they took me to where the shooting had occurred, pointed out bullet holes in a house and nearby car and really helped me out. In fact, if anything happened again in that area, they would call the newsroom and let them know they wanted me to come and get footage. A couple of them I still talk with all these years later. Even though it worked out for a d*****s like me, I wouldn't recommend anyone else being this foolhardy.
#11
#12
Multitasking is another sneaky culprit behind bad decisions. We like to believe we’re great at doing many things at once. In reality, our attention is just bouncing around. Imagine replying to emails while cooking and making financial decisions at the same time. Something is bound to slip. Details get missed. Judgment gets rushed. When focus is divided, decision quality usually drops. Being busy doesn’t always mean being effective.
#13
NODS’s went out before the jump
My main parachute didn’t deploy and there I was free falling for what felt like for ever not knowing how my body was positioned to pull my emergency
So I told myself “Mom & Dad I’m sorry”, I pulled my emergency. It became tangled a little bit but I was able to rustle myself free before hitting the ground
2 ruptured discs, nerve damage in my Knee/Ankles/Hip, concussion & a dislocated shoulder……….oh and three years to fight the VA on “not service related”.
#14
I'm also banned from SeaWorld because at 7yrs old I jumped into a shark tank because "I wanted to pet the bite fish".
#15
Rave finished up and we didn't have anywhere to stay or meet anyone so me and another 2 people decided to head back to school. I was driving by myself and I had been responsible in terms of not drinking but I had also only slept like 2hrs the night before finishing an assignment.
Fell asleep at the wheel for a minute or two. Woke up to the other car blaring their horn and my cellphone ringing.
Apparently had drifted across multiple lanes. Really lucky I didn't crash. Sleep deprivation and driving is stupid
I have done a lot of dangerous things like sky diving, white water rafting in inadequate vessels, jumping cliffs on skis, etc. That was still the most dangerous thing.
Then there’s decision fatigue. Making choices all day slowly drains your mental energy. By the time evening rolls around, even small decisions feel overwhelming. That’s when impulse takes over. You order takeout instead of cooking. You agree to things you normally wouldn’t. Your brain just wants relief. Decision fatigue doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means your brain is tired from working nonstop. And tired brains don’t always choose wisely.
#16
#17
I ran out of air in the control deck by myself and had to swim a mud-occluded hallway to find him in the main hold of the ship so I could Buddy breathe on our ascent. We had to do a 5 minute decompression at 5 meters and I had to watch his BAR drop as we both drank from his tanks. I wasn’t scared going in, but I had to work really hard to take calm breaths for the whole ascent out of the wreck. Very stupid on my part to not listen to my own training and surface before penetration.
#18
Past experiences also shape how we decide, sometimes in unhelpful ways. A bad experience can leave a strong emotional mark. If something went wrong before, your brain tries to protect you from repeating it. But that fear can cloud judgment. You might avoid good opportunities because they resemble past failures. Or you overcorrect and take unnecessary risks. Our memories don’t just inform decisions. They influence them emotionally, too.
#19
#20
I've done the course a few times, it's a job requirement. The first time I did it, I almost drowned.
The helicopter went in the water, flipped upside down, and I couldn't undo the seat belt, I signalled to the instructor, he gave it a quick go but couldn't either. He went straight to the seat release, which he couldn't undo so went back to the surface to signal the other instructors. The entire rig was hoisted out the water with me still in the seat. The entire process was probably around 30 seconds but I've never felt closer to death in my life.