Originally Posted by
lil brown bat
It isn't "the coward's way out", it's a recognition of the truth of that old adage about horses and water, and also (perhaps) a dose of humility and a recognition that you don't know everything, and you don't necessarily know what's best for someone else. Look, I won't even go there about whether he's the stupid one and you're the smart one -- he's making his decisions and facingthe consequences, and you're not. Assuming you're right and this guy is just simply being stupid and self-destructive...well, guess what, a lot of people do stupid and self-destructive things, but they are the only ones that can change their behavior. Do you think that all the alcoholics and drug addicts in the world are simply people who never had anybody bother to tell them about the dangers of their behavior? Hah. You may be utterly convinced of the need for someone to correct their behavior in a certain way, but you're not in charge of their life, and they will change that behavior if and when and ONLY if and when they come to that conclusion themselves.
You really nailed down the bottom line in the bold print, and I agree with your sentiments on the whole. I would argue two points, though. First, very few people have the courage or care enough to confront someone about their self-destructive behavior. If you have more than a couple people in your life who will directly tell you: "You're ****ing up", you're lucky.
The other issue I would argue is that there is a point where you do know what is best for someone else (even though it's unlikely you can change their behavior). If he was simply drinking too much, I'd mind my own business. But the fact that his behavior is so clearly dangerous is what left me with a moral dilemna.
Listening for traffic approaching behind you, and then trying to cross both lanes before they reach you, without even looking, crosses that line. If he continues this method of riding, another accident seems almost inevitable. If this guy was my close friend, or my brother, then I would confront him, whatever the consequences.