Transcripts: Enjoy Life Forever!

Transcript: Be Safety Conscious
[Text: Walk on Your Way in Safety. Samuel F. Herd. Governing Body]
Samuel: We all have an important reason to act safely. Acts 17:28 reads:For by him we have life and move and exist. Since life is such a precious gift from Jehovah, safety and the sanctity of life must be a priority in our daily lives. Our organization has a goal of zero accidents, and not just on construction projects. Being safety conscious is a lifestyle that affects all we do, whether we are at home, on the road, or on theocratic projects. Our attitude toward safety is really a reflection of our spirituality and our love for Jehovah and the brothers and sisters. Let’s see a few dramatizations from around the world to help us see how we all can be more safety conscious.
[In his home, a brother hurriedly moves to the mirror, swiftly loops his tie around his neck and adjusts the knot. Glances at his watch. He grabs his keys and quickly walks out the door. In another home, a sister washes her hands and peers at a clock 9:35. She grabs her purse. In a parking garage the brother strives to his car, arms full, brochures in hand, speedily reverses the car. Bag in hand, the sister walks briskly down the sidewalk. While driving, the brother continues to look at his phone, texting, glances at the road, and then back down to his phone again. Without looking, the sister steps off the curb into the crosswalk. The car heads right for her. Screen goes black. Now the brother on a bike, sporting a helmet, backpack and sunglasses, elbow, and knee pads]
Brother 1: That day changed everything. In that moment, I realized that my actions could have injured someone. I could even have become blood guilty. My problem was overconfidence.
[He parks his bike, sits down on a bench in a grassy meadow and looks out at a lake]
I’d never had a car accident, and I thought it could never happen to me. But just a second of distracted driving can kill. I meditated on Psalm 36:9: With you is the source of life; by your light we can see light. My love for Jehovah, the Source of life, now affects how I drive and even my approach to other activities. For example, I love sports. But I stopped playing those with a high potential for serious injury. And even relatively safe ones I’m committed to enjoying in the safest way possible.
[He plays soccer with a group of friends, all in high visibility vests. In her kitchen, the sister serves her young daughter a plate of watermelon and muffins]
Sister 1: I thank Jehovah every day that I’m still alive. It was such a close call. It was a street I’ve walked across hundreds of times. No one has ever been hurt there before, so I felt safe. Besides, I was preoccupied with what I had to do that day. I didn’t see the car until I heard the screeching tires. I wish it hadn’t taken this to become more safety conscious. Now we continually train our children to stop, think, and evaluate even familiar surroundings before proceeding.
[She pulls out a countertop appliance from the kitchen cabinet. She imagines plugging several small appliances into a power strip, Power strip sparks. She puts the power strip away, unplugs one appliance to plug in another]
Acting safely is one way we show Jehovah how much we appreciate life.
[Baby crawling toward mom, hot soup on the stove]
Whether at home or elsewhere, being safe has become a lifestyle for us.
[With oven mitts, she moves the hot soup to the back burner. Now at a Kingdom Hall construction project]
Brother 2: As a body of elders, we take Proverbs 22:3 seriously: The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, but the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.
[A brother speaks to a sister with a drill]
If we take shortcuts or permit something unsafe and an accident happens, we bear a measure of responsibility for the results.
[She puts on a pair of safety glasses]
We love Jehovah and our brothers and sisters too much to allow that.
[Brothers in hard hats. One brother shows another a broken hammer. He switches it for a sound hammer. Now a sister attempts to board a full van. A brother speaks to her, pointing to the maximum capacity sign. The sister nods her head with a smile and backs away from the vehicle. Now a brother approaches another in a parked truck and points to his seatbelt. He immediately straps himself in and smiles]
With good direction and training from the LDC Maintenance Training Team, we’ve learned to apply the principle of Proverbs 22:3. We identify potential risks before we start working and make a plan to complete it safely. We always assign the right person to a task, being aware of everyone’s knowledge, limitations, and abilities. And while it’s wonderful to have young ones with us, we make sure they’re always supervised and work with either their parents or another responsible person.
[Parents, children, brothers, and sisters on a break, enjoy refreshments and good company. They stand in front of the Kingdom Hall, they all wave.
[The sister strolls along the sidewalk again, slower paced. This time, baby on her hip, holding hands with her daughter]
Sister 1: Life is a gift from Jehovah, and I want to train my children to value it.
[The daughter looks up at her mother and smiles]
The smallest actions can save lives.
[Entering the Kingdom Hall, they smile]
Brother 1: My conscience is clean now. Understanding that making safety a priority is an expression of my love for Jehovah and my brothers and sisters,
[The brother fastens his seatbelt]
I’m happier now.
[He adjusts the rear-view mirror, puts his cell phone in his bag. With a contented smile, he begins to drive. The car cruises over a grey bridge]
Samuel: Could it be that some of our actions reveal a lack of appreciation for the gift of life? As was mentioned, safety is a part of being spiritual people. That understanding motivates us to develop safer routines and ways of doing things. Our minds will be focused on keeping us safe by identifying risks and adjusting how we do things. In this way, we stay safe by eliminating or controlling the risk. The world focuses on speed and cutting corners to get things done. In contrast, we want our theocratic and personal activities to show that safety is a priority. This can be accomplished if we view safety as a reflection of our love for Jehovah and his precious gift of life.
(Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2019 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)