The very fact that we need sniffer dogs underscores a human tendency. While we’re not all criminals, in certain areas of life we tend to try to get away with things that we sense are wrong.

This kind of behaviour can become so habitual that we are blind to it. Maybe there are shortcuts we’ve taken so often that they are part of our routine. Safety issues highlight this - chronic speeding, ignoring seat belts, rolling through stop signs, not wearing protective gear when working with power tools or playing potentially dangerous sports. We know we’re taking chances, but because we’ve never been caught or had a serious accident, we just carry on playing the odds.

On the other hand, maybe there are certain behaviours we engage in that we understand carry some hazard, but we do them so often they’ve become part of who we are. Health issues serve as the best quick examples here - smoking, unsafe sex, sedentary life-style, consuming large amounts of salt, fat, and sugar. We assume we can get away with things like this since we’ve never felt the ill effects of them.

Yet, when we look around us, we see evidence that not everyone does get away with ignoring safety considerations, taking care of their bodies and engaging in other behaviours which are hazardous. Rather than ignoring the unspoken message of car crashes, serious sports and workplace injuries, broken health and early death, let’s consider them carefully and resolve to take steps to avoid them in our own lives.

For Reflection:

• Think about your own life-style. Are there some areas where you are counting on beating the odds to stay healthy?
• What is the appropriate response for you to take as you discover areas you’ve neglected taking adequate care of yourself?