At the age of 27, having just made my first film, Boiler Room, I found myself riding a brand new BMW K1200RS south on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan. The bike was a gift from Ben Affleck (it’s customary to buy the director a modest gift when you wrap a film, but this was generous by any measure). This is a relevant detail because I thought the world belonged to me at that age, and an ancillary effect of that foolish thought is the sense that you are immune from harm. Or as some refer to it: your 20s.
Hot Stove
Key Takeaways:
- The author recounts multiple near-fatal incidents, from reckless motorcycling in his 20s to piloting errors in his 40s, highlighting a consistent pattern of overconfidence and poor judgment despite perceived maturity.
- He reflects on the "touch-the-stove" phenomenon, where he often failed to learn sufficiently from close calls, initially attributing survival to skill rather than luck.
- The article emphasizes that even with age and increased caution, the author continues to commit errors, leading him to realize that personal experience alone is not enough for self-preservation.
- He concludes that external measures like checklists and learning from others' mistakes are vital tools to prevent serious incidents, as internal caution can be fallible.
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