Agreed, I don’t think people who haven’t experienced this can really understand it. I was accelerating into an intersection about to get hit by cross-traffic and when I saw what was inevitably going to happen my body just went rigid, and one of my feet was firmly on the accelerator. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) my car was a manual, and the other foot was firmly on the clutch, because I think I had just started or intended to change gears, so my car just drifted slowly into the intersection while roaring loudly at the rev limiter, and I only got clipped. But if my left foot had not been on the clutch, it probably would’ve been a much worse accident. There was no time for anything resembling a conscious thought. My entire body was instantly reacting, I suppose to brace itself for impact, it was very primal and instinctive. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug.
I went straight to Prusa, which mostly protects me from my own ignorance and gives me way more confidence to actually learn and experiment with different materials, it’s worth every penny, haven’t looked back. YMMV. I too destroyed my Ender’s bed with inexperience. More than once. Being cheap, I suppose that’s why it isn’t such a tragedy. The other option is to just replace the print bed and carry on. I went through about 3 before I gave up on Ender. Still on my first Prusa Satin sheet 3 years later. I flip it occasionally just to even out any wear and tear.