Subject: Electric Shock: I was very lucky, on the other hand what was I risking…

On one hand I was very lucky, on the other hand what was  I risking…

In a kitchen at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, i tripped and stumbled yesterday over 
an extension cord. At that time the end of the cord casing broke away.  As a 
reaction I picked up the cord to move it out of the way, before leaving the 
house in a hurry.

With a wet right hand I touched the exposed wires. There was a crack sound and 
a huge flash like a white sun, which seemed to have two ranges: 1) the core 
was around my hand about two feet in diameter and 2)extending like a pulse 
another half a foot all round.  Other people noticed the flash.  The only 
thing that happened to me was a little bit of soot on my middle finger.

QUESTIONS #1, 2, 3: In this case, was there a risk of injury?  How bad? How 
lucky was I?  
QUESTIONS #4, 5, 6 Decades ago I put a knife it to fix a live socket and the 
explosion resulted in the knife being pock-marked.  So what could have 
protected me? …the electricity in my system, for example, chi or polarity? I 
was in rubber-soled shoes standing on vinyl floor covering. Would letting go 
of the wires just at right time do the trick?  Why did the electrical arc not 
damage me?

Re: Electric Shock: I was very lucky, on the other hand what was I risking…