“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
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 think there is a difference between risk taking and danger. In context, we all want security, but you must step outside of the box to have success. Now if you take a risk for success but don’t think out a plan, whether it be a spur of the moment plan or a thought out one, then you are putting yourself in unnecessary danger of failing.
To me risk and danger are different things. To have success I would not do something that I know is dangerous that I couldn’t do without proper planning and my odds of accomplishing it were not high enough to succeed.
Common sense and proper planning are needed to succeed. No amount of risk taking is worth continual failure. As Michael Symon recently said on the “Next Iron Chef” finale ‘Are you creative or are you a Failure?’
I was feeling quite down and depressed as I visited this blog. Now after reading about Helen Keller on Wikipedia I feel much much better. 🙂
Great quotation Michael. I am always trying to push fear out of my life. I’m getting there but it isn’t always easy.
Meanwhile, there are always a surplus of people in ones life who say that fear shouldn’t exist. I’m wary of these people as a general rule.
WoW what a great quote. Especially from someone who had no idea where her next step (literally) would take her.
A lot of people I know are nearly superstitious in their attempts to avoid any risk. “Anything could happen” is the excuse.
Great find, I think I need to get back to reading more.
hellen keller , what a lady . i just don’t know what to say . great lady