The Dares

A little advice will go a long way.

“All right you guys, listen up. I don’t want to keep you long, but there’s some things we need to discuss that’s just been on my mind. You’ve made it through Basic Escape and Evasion – E&E – but I’m afraid a few of you didn’t take it seriously.”

He paused as he heard the grumblings.

“Yeah yeah yeah. Mumble all you want, but you know who you are. Some of you have been sneaking out at night and going head to head with the cars in the alleys. Not wise, guys, not wise at all. You may be fast and play The Dares all you want with your buddies, but one of these days, you won’t be fast enough because remember, some in those cars are also playing The Dares with you.”

He looked out over his audience and saw them talking among themselves.

“When there’s six of you in the middle of an alley, one of you is going to get hit. That’s just the reality and odds of the situation. Maybe even two or more. It’s dark, the headlights only shine so far, narrow alley, and some of those drivers can be under the influence of mind-controlling substances. Yeah, who would do that, I know, but they do and you can’t tell them otherwise.

“And I know some of you are making a decent living with the body shop side hustle. In fact, some of you are making a killing with those gigs. However, that could get you in a lot of hot water sooner than you think.”

“Yeah? How so?” one of the participants asked.

“Well, what would it look like on a job opportunity if all you’ve done in the past is that of a body shop risk taker? Some may see that as a positive because you’re taking risks. Others may find you too risky for their liking. Companies in general like safe. After all, you know the saying: there are old rabbits and there are bold rabbits but there are no old bold rabbits.”

“Hey, you stole that from the internet, didn’t you?”

“Stole? No, I borrowed it, leased it, copied it, but not stole. Just don’t miss the point, okay. And before you guys go out and do what you want to do anyhow, listen up.”

After the Instructor waited for silence, he said, “Let’s be careful out there, okay? It’s dangerous!”

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