That was empathy. Empathy is just the ability to feel what someone is feeling.
His fear was transferred upon you.
I've always had very strong empathy. When my dad told me stuff like that, instead of thinking "I don't want to die", I would always picture it happening to me, but I would be looking at it through his eyes rather than mine.
However, you knew that the machine was dangerous. Instinctively, you knew. You just didn't know that a loose t-shirt would increase the danger. People don't realize that drugs are dangerous. There is something inherently different between the two situations. Being hit by a hundred ton machine at high speeds is going to be a lot like getting punched except a lot harder. Doing a drug is...like what? Nobody I've known has ever said, "Hey, getting pucnhed in the face is so cool! It's like this indesribable feeling of tingling and sharpness"
