Photo: AP

When I think “unfortunate mistake,” I think about getting handed the wrong change at the grocery store. I don’t think about having my nice day spoiled by an ever-loving supersonic missile!

But friends, life is never promised to us. The man upstairs—if he’s even up there—has plans that we’re not privy to. It behooves all of us to keep that in mind. I’ll wager that the man who woke up earlier this week and went for a nice fishing trip off the coast of Taiwan didn’t in his wildest dreams imagine that he’d be accidentally shot by a supersonic missile fired by the Taiwanese Navy.

And yet that’s what happened.

Hell. This poor fisherman might have had an inkling he’d have a bad day. Might have thought through a few things that could go wrong on his trip—bad weather, fish not biting, a nasty sun burn. Maybe, if he was being real grim, he might even have contemplated the possibility that his boat could sink, casting him into a watery grave. But I feel almost certain that that fisherman did not at any moment think to himself, “Today could be the day I’m accidentally struck by a supersonic missile.”

Well, crazy things happen.

I’m sure the people who accidentally shot this fisherman with a missile feel bad about themselves. I’m sure they’ll have to spend days explaining themselves in bureaucratic reviews, and nights regretting the actions that led up to this tragedy. We should hold no hatred in our hearts for them. This was a terrible thing for everyone involved. We should, however, reserve our most intense level of sympathy for the fisherman in question.

He was just sitting there fishing, and then: Pow! God damn! That ain’t a fish. It’s a missile!!

I’ve heard of bad days—but really???