It’s Better to Burn Out Than Fade Away (or, How Risk Is Not An Excuse)

I quite like your babbling :P I think North Americans are particularly guilty of letting our creature comforts get in the way of a truly fulfilling life. It seems as though we live to work rather than the other way around but perhaps this is just because to live in Toronto is just so damn expensive. I look at my friends living in a small seaside village outside of london - working very minimally at jobs they love yet still having enough money to travel several times a year and I'm jealous! Anyway us Torontonians can still get out of our funk can't we? You are a good example of that. You are still living here right? lol In terms of making sense of your classmate's death I think that opens up a whole new subject and I would think of it in spiritual terms and not doubt the advice you give. Everyone must live out their purpose as that is why we are here and that includes the mistakes we make along the way.

I learned to equate risk with personal growth. Not because every risk leads to growth, but because the lack of risk results in very little movement in our need to change to survive. I think that we can make much better choices if instead of talking about risk, we talk about the potential to grow into a better person. With this frame of mind, we can approach the necessary steps and decisions in life with the proper motivation. Instead of letting fear be the most salient factor in considering risk, we should follow through to, and focus on the emotions present after accomplishing something "risky". The shift is primarily in the mind. There is a distinct difference between real and apparent risk. The risk to our physical lives is constant and real and entirely independent of the misconceived risk to our emotional or social lives. Most of the time we are afraid to do something, we are simply confusing the kind of risk involved. Physical risk is one thing. Personal growth is another and is what is stunted by bringing risk (with its immediate connotation of physical injury) into the picture. Of course there are many situations where there is a real danger in the pursuit of living your life; but becoming aware of the distinction between physical danger and emotional danger will help properly qualify the appropriate response. To quit a job, for example, involves no physical risk, however, the obvious financial risk, or social risk in starting fresh are very real, but i submit that they are inconsequential. It is easier to tell ourselves fictions of our perception of other peoples thoughts about our actions than to consider our actual desires. So the question becomes, would you rather spend your time worrying about what other people think? Or learning a new language or working in what you love? Presented with this choice, it sounds easy, and is actually easier than most believe. Try it!

Yes, risk is real. It's so real that not a single one of us will get out of this world alive. Becca, I agree completely. I'd say 99% of all people live lives that are too safe, believing that their cocoon of safety will protect them indefinitely and living lives of quiet desperation. It's an illusion that keeps us from feeling fear and anxiety, but at what price? (And just how much are we avoiding fear & anxiety these days anyway?)

Of course, in poker terms, the answer can very well be, "All in". But maybe that's not always the case.

Risk is real. Maybe it is a good idea to think how much one can afford to risk?