In the news recently there have been two very terrible accidents. There was the accident in Seoul, Korea when 156 people were killed in a crowded area. There was also an accident on a bridge in a place called Morbi Gujarat in India. In that accident more than 141 people were killed. Both of these are terrible situations. Both of them are situations that could have been stopped if people had been more careful and if there had been more good information.

In everyone’s life there will be trouble and there will be accidents. Having an accident in your life is part of living a regular life, and sometimes trouble is good because it can make you stronger too. But when we think about all the kids who were killed in Seoul it is very sad. Those kids only wanted to go to the city and have fun. Everyone has been waiting for a long time to go outside again. We have all waited so long because of the corona virus, so it is natural for people to want to go outside to the city, meet more people, have fun, make noise, and to have a party.

In the case of Seoul, Korea, the city did not make a good plan for so many people to come to the center of the city to have a party. They did not think enough about the situation and did not prepare for the problem. It is very sad.

How do you think we should prepare our lives for accidents? Do you think that the outside world is too dangerous? Do you think we should all stay home in our houses and only watch TV forever?

No, that is not a good idea. We should not be afraid to go outside. We should not be afraid to see our friends and to have a good time. We should not worry that we will die every time we go outside the house. We should do everything we can to have a natural life and a good life.

But before we go outside, or on a trip, or into nature, we need to think about risks and about trouble that we might find. We need to think a little about how we can solve a problem before we have the problem.

Maybe if we go on a long trip we should keep some extra power for a cell phone. That is a good idea.

Maybe we should keep extra shoes and socks at school or in a car trunk or at grandparents’ house. Sometimes there is a storm and we need new socks and shoes.

Maybe we should keep some emergency water and food in the house if we have an earthquake or a natural disaster.

Maybe we should not travel too far alone. Going with a friend or two friends is a good idea to be safe and to prevent trouble.

Maybe we should brush up our skills in hiking and swimming so that if we have trouble we can do our best with a stronger body.

Maybe we should have a plan if we have a big earthquake or some trouble. If you have an earthquake and your family is in different places, where will you meet? How will you communicate if you have no cell phone?

It is difficult to plan to stop every accident from happening. And we also do not want to worry so much about the world that we are afraid to go out of the house. We need to live our lives “in the middle”. We need to be strong and be smart.

Today we remember the people who died in the two accidents in both Korea and India. We are deeply sad and sorry for the loss of life. It is so terrible for the families. So today we also remember to be a little more careful, to think carefully, and to make good plans so that we can be safe, and healthy, and happy.