Pilots aren’t born sky Gods.
There is no such thing. Again, a dangerous mentality. When we view the basics, the bare-bones basics of flying as a fancy "sky-god" thing, we're in dangerous territory. This isn't high-falutin' wild and fancy stuff, folks. It's the basic standard to which you should be operating.
As I indicated earlier private pilots flying for pleasure make mistakes, they make errors of judgement.
As do we all. As a flight instructor who teaches people to fly, and a long time private pilot myself...I get it. However, electing to fly an airplane into ice isn't a mistake. It's an intentional unsafe action. This isn't a simple "oops" thing. This isn't inadvertant. Inexperience is doing things unknowingly. However, doing foolish things knowingly is the halmark of ignorance and stupidity. Penetrating a level five thunderstorm and then deploying a parachute...stupidity. Flying single engine airplanes over the mountains at night in British Colombia...stupidity. This is knowingly undertaking a stupid act.
Yes, people make errors in judgment. In aviation the penalty is often one's life, or that of others. As stated before...this is aviation. We don't guess, we don't gamble.
As an instructor, I don't believe it's appropriate to humor a pilot who whines "You can't expect us to know this fancy-schmancy stuff! You can't expect us to know we shouldn't fly a light, single engine piston powered airplane into a level five thunderstorm! You can't expect us to know not to fly it into severe icing. I'm a private pilot, and by gum, I'll fly my airplane over the mountains at night in convective weather if I want to!" Why, yes, you will...and you may pay the price for it, too. But don't ever try to cop the excuse that it was all a mistake.
I once asked a pilot who flew for our medical operation why he didn't file IFR. He told me it was his personal preference, and nobody was going to tell him what to do. A few days later a friend of his was killed in a helicopter at night on the same route he usually flew on emergency runs; right into the top of a mountain in the dark. This pilot found his friend...and the wreckage, still smoking. A week later, he still wasn't flying IFR altitudes...he was still doing exactly what the dead pilot did...because nobody was going to tell him what to do.
I'm reminded somewhat of the two ships approaching in the night. The ships captain saw the lights ahead, and ordered the message sent "Turn right ten degrees."
Came the reply, "you turn right twenty degrees."
The ship's captain replied "I am a ships captain, turn right ten degrees."
Came the reply, "I am an ensign. Turn right twenty degrees."
The ship's captain ordered the message sent, "I am a battleship. Alter your course right by ten degrees."
Came the reply, "I am a light house. Turn right, twenty degrees. NOW!"
The ship's captain turned.
Yes, you can be proud to not live by basic tenets of safety, and justify it by arguing that you have a right to make mistakes...just like a man standing in the middle of a highway has the right of way as a pedestrian. He may be a dead pedestrian with a right of way...but by all that's holy, he will have his right of way...even if it kills him.
These are not "skygod" concepts. These are basic, necessary precepts and steps to keep you out of the dirt and rocks, and form a basic standard which if upheld, will save your life, and if ignored, may seal your fate such that nothing can save you.
Who takes ultimate responsibility for the safe outcome of the flight, and pays the ultimate price for failure to do so? That would be you; the pilot in command. Be the PIC, don't make excuses. Measure twice, cut once; don't guess. KNOW.