“Don’t run with that knife!”
A television show. The protagonist is chasing his nemesis. But the good guy is holding a knife! The quote above screamed through a voiceless consciousness. No forethought. No careful analysis. Just the conviction – immediate and determined. (Whether I am alone or with others, I make it a point never to scream at a screen.)
During my childhood, I was reminded on more than several occasions that running with sharp items is dangerous. Those past warnings were immediate, determined, and certainly not voiceless. Urgent admonitions had effectively been drilled deep into my unconscious behavior. I will never hurt myself by running with a knife and I stand very still when slicing tomatoes.
