Today was the ten year anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia with all hands. Already a decade, wow. Hmm.
I was 12 when the Challenger was lost. I remember it vividly. I was telling Michelle today that a joke made the rounds shortly after that disaster. I thought it was so funny. "What does NASA stand for?"
"Need Another Seven Astronauts."
I went running up to my dad when I got home to share this super-clever joke with him. I was so sure he would laugh and congratulate me on my wit, even though it was merely wit-by-association.
He did not laugh.
He tore right into me, and though I can't now transcribe his exact words, they were to the effect of: what the hell is the matter with you? Seven people died and you make a joke about it? Are you sure you're my son?
Coming from my dad it was so jarring, so embarrassing and so true. He was right. And I never forgot it.  It's too bad such a valuable life lesson came out of such a horrific tragedy.
You always think everyone else gets the same lessons you do, but they don't. Some people have dads who told them that joke, or ones like it. No wonder there's still so much assholery out there.
Don't be insensitive. Be nice. So simple. Easy, too, with enough practice.

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger, which disentegrated mid-flight on January 26, 1986:

Francis R. (Dick) Scobee
Michael J. Smith
Judith A. Resnik
Ronald E. McNair
Ellison S. Onizuka
Gregory B. Jarvis
Sharon Christa McAuliffe

The crew of the space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated mid-flight on February 1, 2003:

Rick D. Husband
William C. McCool
Michael P. Anderson
Ilan Ramon
Kalpana Chawla
David M. Brown
Laurel Blair Salton Clark