One tragedy of tragedies is that we often don’t learn from them,
which means we waste those lessons others died “teaching” us.
Our lives and deaths are replete with evidence of this, with
thousands of Americans dying avoidably each year because we have
trouble following through on the lessons of those who died
before them. That’s because knowledge of preventable tragedy and
intent to avoid it are inadequate for changing our behavior.
Specific steps are required to turn good intention into
sustained, preventive, protective action. The recent deaths of
four Mainers in the state’s deadliest fire since 1992 are a case
in point. In the miserable aftermath, tragedy-scarred fire
officials begged us to learn from the tragedy and have working
smoke detectors in several locations around our homes, check
those detectors monthly, and develop home evacuation plans in
case of a fire. I have every intention of doing what they
suggest. Unfortunately, and perhaps like you, I’m not likely to
follow through on those best of int