Oct.10

Is a Selfie More Dangerous than a Shark Attack?

Oct.10Last year I witnessed a shark attack. It was quite sobering, and I don’t expect to forget it anytime soon.

Fortunately, the attack was not deadly and as far as I know it did not cause any permanent disfigurement.

It did cause me to look and think about the seriousness of shark attacks.

Would you like to read two other interesting stories about shark attacks? Click here: http://waylonbailey.com/2014/06/17/little-things-can-kill-you/ and here: http://waylonbailey.com/2015/05/14/my-first-ever-witness-to-a-shark-attack/

For this reason, I now read every report about shark attacks. I read one last week which surprised me greatly.

First of all, shark attacks worldwide have killed eight people so far in 2015. One of those was in the United States, in the state of Hawaii. Amazingly, the east coast of the United States has had no fatal shark attacks this year although it has experienced a large number of sharks and several non-fatal attacks.

The rest of the story is quite interesting. More people have been killed taking selfies than have been killed by shark attacks.

Authorities have identified 12 people who have been killed while taking selfies in 2015.

Most of those people were distracted while taking the selfie. Others simply made some very unwise decisions.

Some fell over cliffs as they stepped backwards to get a better shot. Others died in unusual circumstances.

Because of the danger of taking selfies, Yellowstone National Park has prohibited selfies in the park. Though no one has died from this, several people have gotten too close to grizzlies while trying to get a good picture.

What lessons do we need to learn? The Bible has several lessons for us which apply to selfies and to every decision we make.

First, guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). In the Bible the heart refers to the whole inner person, including your thinking process. As you think–or don’t think–you will be!

Second, don’t let the things of life distract you from the most important parts of who you are. Jesus told us that the things of life tend to lure us away from the things that really matter. “The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things . . .” choke out the work and word of God in our lives (Mark 4:19).

Finally, remember who you really are is not as you appear on the outside. From the heart, comes all kind of evil and all kind of goodness. What are you putting in your heart? What matters most to your life?

Fill your heart with godliness and holiness and you will see yourself and your world in totally different ways.

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One Response

  1. My sister, whose husband is a DOM in the area of Yellowstone Park, told me of one lade who was hurt, while taking a selfie with a wild buffalo. Seems the bison did not care to have his picture taken for that selfie. While the selfie taker was inured, she survived, suffering and wiser. It could have been worse, far worse. Good illustration.

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