Cirrus writes:

You do raise valid points, and I appreciate that you at least replied.
Now I'm going to be sentimental....There is one underlying thing for
you to keep in the back of your mind here, however. There is an
underlying principle that bonds pilots subconsciously together- that
mistakes can lead to death.

That bonds a lot of people together. There are many ways to die.

Not knowing the perfect taxi speed might not hurt anyone,
but the collective package of knowledge a pilot possesses makes him/her
safer up there.

Safer than whom? Nobody else is allowed to fly.

It takes a lifetime commitment to being a safe pilot.

I don't think so. It doesn't take a lifetime to become a doctor; it
certainly doesn't take a lifetime to become a pilot.

But in any safety-critical domain, a certain attitude tends to me more
conducive to safety than any other. Some people have this attitude,
others don't. Training programs and credentialing attempt to instill
and maintain the right attitude, but they don't always succeed, as
accidents and deaths continue to prove.

Try to get to the right answer, but be sensitive to the fact that this
group of people's differing opinions stem from a deeper belief that
their well being (as well as their passengers) depends on their
ultimate actions in the cockpit.

What I find surprising is that, even though they probably do have this
deep belief for the most part, they consciously act against it on so
many occasions. For example, it has been pointed out that GPS
altitudes are not trustworthy, and yet some pilots stubbornly insist
that they can fly with them. They display many of the characteristics
that the FAA says are associated with pilots who will eventually kill
themselves.

You are too high on final. Do you sideslip or go around?
How much do you lean the mixture while on the ground?
What visibility is too low for takeoff? Part 91 lets me go with 0.
Am I safe at 9000ft at night without supplemental oxygen? FAR says it's
legal
When you taxi, how fast is too fast?
Is that runway too short today?

Most of these questions have an unambiguously "safest" answer, so the
only variable is how willing pilots are to follow the safest route in
every situation.

I know my abilities and limitations. For instance, I have great
crosswind landing skills, but am more timid with small mountain strips.
Most people here have different opinions OR experience levels, and you
can't just poke them with sticks when they know that you are detached
from the issue. If you screw up, no problem. If I screw up, somebody
might die, and that's why we try so hard to tell each other what we
think is best. Sometimes it seems you toy with this principle (without
knowing it, I hope) and it really ****es people off. Just my 2 cents.

Being ****ed off is unsafe. Emotion clouds judgement, and cloudy
judgement is poor judgement, and poor judgement leads to bad things.

I'm sorry that some people are ruled by their emotions. It must be
very unpleasant. I'm thankful that I'm not flying with them at the
controls.

I long ago noticed that the best pilots, astronauts, engineers, etc.,
tend to be like robots when they are doing what they like best.
People who cannot control their emotions wash out, or die. I like to
see that icy calm in anyone flying a plane in which I'm a passenger.
When all hell breaks loose, I know they'll keep a cool head and bring
us all in to a safe landing.

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