During a small gathering at my neighbour's apartment, someone told us about the tragic life of a deceased person whose name I forgot. However, he was nicknamed "the crazed" due to his extreme eccentricity.
When that person was a child, he was walking in the desert with his father with several animals. One of these animals was a male donkey. The donkey was so dumb, he thought the child was a female donkey (is there a specific name for that in English?).
The animal, having a desire that is obvious to adults, approached the child. Since then, the child was never the same; something in his psyche has changed permanently. Due to that single misfortune, the child's whole life was, in a sense, altered for good, and it wasn't even his fault.
He lived a solitary life, with no wife or family, because he was socially undesirable; I'm not sure if anyone wanted anything to do with him, with the "Crazed Man". He would approach random women and flexed his muscles. That's how he wanted to show his interest to them, without even starting a conversation. It is obvious that there was something wrong with him.
Now, imagine a life where that donkey didn't exist, or where the donkey actually understood that the child wasn't a female donkey. Imagine the friends he would've had -- the man -- the family he could've built, and perhaps even a business and a lineage of children...
All of these possibilities were taken by the Dumb Donkey; all, due to a stupid assumption. This is how even the smallest of events, can trigger a chain of events, and cancel, many other opportunities, from being realized.
This is one of the reasons why I prefer to live in largely physical isolation from the world. I don't think that the world is very safe, even if it has less "Dumb Donkeys" in it. Why? Because anything could happen at any time by anyone, whether intentionally or by mistake.
I do not necessarily fear stepping out of the door if it's necessary, but I really prefer not to risk myself. Even the smallest of events could have an influence of a lifetime, as presented in the presented anecdote.
Also, if you happen to be around animals that aren't "traditional", cats, dogs, rabbits and so on, make sure you know which animal you're dealing with, and what could be the risk, by being in their presence. The fact that we humans have largely conquered the world, doesn't mean that most of us are aware of less-than-known animals.
Gorillas, for example, could be friendly, but if they believe they are threatened, they could be extremely violent.
Kangaroos are also very muscular, and could beat you in a fight, even if not initiated by yourself; not all snakes are friendly to humans and so on.
EDIT: Don't get the wrong idea. That man lived long before me. I think he was a sibling of the guy I heard the story from, the guy who is in his 50's. We don't really have donkeys, horses or camels anymore roaming around in most places. Israel has evolved tremendously since then as a country.
