Sunday Snippet: Helen Keller on Safety

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

With no real intention to do so, it seems like I have approached the subject of hardship and challenging life circumstances lately on this blog. The fact of the matter is that life isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t be.

If we all decided to take the safest route possible and not expose ourselves to any risk whatsoever, the human race would not have been able to advance to the position where it is today. We would have never invented the automobile, visited the moon, or fondled the iPhone.

To make life worth living, we should all take this important lesson from Helen Keller. Despite becoming both deaf and blind at the age of 19 months, Keller went on to become a prolific and incredibly accomplished American author. Life was difficult, to be sure, but she made it into a worthwhile adventure.

I’m not saying that we should all throw caution to the wind and take as many unnecessary risks as possible, but we should take some opportunities to sacrifice our security for something possibly greater. As Helen Keller teaches us, avoiding the danger and leading a life of inaction could be just as dangerous as taking that risk in the first place. You have to take a chance. It is only when we reach into what is impossible that we can truly discover what is possible.

Without great risk, it is very unlikely that you’ll be able to enjoy any great rewards. I know that I have a less than stellar sense of balance, but I tried my hand at riding a Segway and a scooter. My reputation precedes me, in this respect, but both experiences turned out to be worthwhile and enjoyable adventures, despite the mild injuries that I sustained.

If you want to learn more about Helen Keller, try reading The Story of My Life. I’m sure there are more lessons to be learned within.