I don't really know what got me thinking about the nature of risks and pros and cons involved with risk-taking, but I realized that it's an interesting dialectic (assuming that I even know what a dialectic is, which I don't think I do).
Risk-Taking:
Many people enjoy living life on the edge, taking chances all the way. These people tend to be more exciting and fun to be around than those who mostly play it safe. They also can be very successful in life if they chose the right things to gamble on and get a little luck to help them out. However, these gambles can often blow up in their faces. If they're not careful, they might take a chance when they shouldn't, and then they would be in big trouble. While these people might be happier than their more boring and methodical opposites, their happiness is very likely directly tied to their dangerous lifestyle.
Playing it Safe:
People who rarely or never take risks are a lot safer and more stable. Whereas people who always live on the edge can get a bit irritating or abrasive, people who live far from the edge usually don't rub people the wrong way, other than just being boring. Non-risk-takers might also be unhappy with their lives, feeling the monotony of their existence crushing them. They might also be fairly successful in their lives, but probably not due to anything they did.
The most interesting part of this dialectic is trying to strike the perfect balance of risk and safety. I think this struggle is captured perfectly in the movie Office Space (really, what complex and sophisticated idea isn't?). The main character, Peter Gibbons, starts out the movie in a humdrum existence, not taking any risks. He's stuck in a boring job and he is still with his girlfriend despite having the knowledge that she's cheating on him. Then, he goes to a hypnotherapist who inspires him to relax and take more chances. He dumps his girlfriend, asks out Jennifer Aniston, and starts caring less and less about his job. He eventually goes too far, though, when he decides to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company. He realizes that he must find a way to balance risk and not-risk. He decides to quit his job, fess up to the theft (which becomes immaterial when Milton burns down his office), and get a job he likes better, as a construction worker.
Applying this dialectic to my own life will be fairly tough to do, mainly for the reason that I'm not sure whether I need a dose of risk or safety. Part of the problem is that there are so many aspects to my life, and I have a different risk-taking philosophy for each one. Within the confines of Six Flags, I would characterize myself as a daredevil. However, in many aspects of my personal life, I am pretty timid. I believe that in general, I could stand to take more risks and put myself out there more, but I will make sure not to lean too far toward one side or the other.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment