Death Hides Inside the Routine

Most of us face a certain amount of danger every single day, whether it’s while driving, walking our dog, stopping at the bank or the grocery store, or working on a home improvement project. Because the likelihood of catastrophe is so low, most of us will spend that time thinking about other things, maybe daydreaming or listening to an audiobook, a podcast, or some music. This tendency toward complacency in our routine tasks is where the danger—and potentially the death—hides. In this week’s episode, Tony draws lessons from four examples of pilots who were lulled into complacency as everything seemed completely routine—until it wasn’t. From missing checklist steps to weather alerts, sometimes thinking we know a process or environment inside and out can lead to critical errors and tragedy, a lesson that applies equally to even the most common activities.