There’s a lesson in this video that has nothing to do with horses. You see this woman walk up to a horse and casually touch its side. And then, without warning, the horse kicks her hard. Now, the obvious lesson is: “Don’t stand behind a horse.” But there’s a deeper lesson here about human nature. We get hurt most often when our expectations become stronger than our awareness. The fact that something has allowed you to get close to it before doesn’t mean it will always allow it. The fact that someone has tolerated your behavior for years doesn’t mean they’ll tolerate it tomorrow. The fact that you’ve crossed a boundary ten times without consequences doesn’t mean there isn’t an eleventh time. Familiarity creates comfort. Comfort creates expectation. And expectation can make you stop paying attention. That’s when you become vulnerable. The mistake isn't always getting close. Sometimes the mistake is forgetting that you're close to something powerful. Never confuse familiari...