I’m not much on absolutes – haven’t had much luck with ‘em.

I’m not sayin’ there aren’t any – but there’s certainly not many, and most of the ones I uncover seem to be negative.

There’s death and taxes…and of course, my dancing abilities. I think we can all stipulate to the absolute awfulness of those.

But practically speaking, it’s real hard to find principles that work every time in every situation.

That said, I have one modest, but useful absolute to offer that has never failed…thus far.

ANNIHILATION PREVENTION STRATEGY (APS, if you must)

There are four steps;

1. Identify and locate all things nearby that tend to explode and/or burst into flame.
2. Don’t stand next to them.
3. When implementing #1, err on the side of instant assumptions, right or wrong.
4. When implementing #2, err on the side of alacrity and distance, right or wrong.

I know this sounds like a solid recipe for a dull and unadventurous life, but the key word here is “life”.

This has worked for me…always…thus far.

By the way, the same steps work for emotionally combustible people.

Absolutely.