"The person, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live." Leo. F. Buscaglia quotes.
We often hear all of the old adages when it comes to that dreaded four letter word risk. I have often wondered why this word even exists. We loathe the concept or idea of risk. Is risk really such a bad thing, I ask? Is risk really to be feared or rather seen just as that portal that may guarantee us profound happiness or immense success? I know that we may argue that if all doesn't go as planned that there would be no happiness or success to be had, rather an unfavourable result. I think that this is why most of us fear risk. We can only take the good. We are never prepared for the bad. We should never be subjected to pain. We are immortal. Aren't we? What we fail to realize is that this failure is not permanent. As long as we can breathe, there is always tomorrow and we can try again.
One of my favourite animated series is the 'Pinky and the Brain.' I love this show not because the Brain had this villainous quest to overthrow the world or because Pinky was adorably cute but rather because no matter how many times the Brain failed in his attempts to take over the world, the very next day when Pinky asked, "so what are we going to do today Brain?" without a doubt the reply would be, "try to take over the world."
It may seem a bit quirky that I read so much into a cartoon but I do have that tendency to analyze everything and draw strength from the most inordinate things. I loved Brain's spirit. There are those of us who may think, that people who risk, 'well brave' as we like to say. We may think that they love getting hurt, 'could take knock bout', pain, rejection or that they are just plain old crazy. This is not the case. I agree with the wise man who said, "often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not that one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act." I think that they realize that, "the person, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live."
Over the years I have heard so many people wish for things however they never "chap one stroke" as my mother likes to say, so that they may realize their dreams or their desired result. There are times that we just sit on the shore and never jump in. Some of us never even dip our feet in to test the water. We just sit there saying "not yet the water is to rough right now or it's to cold, so I am not going in," or it's like when we jumping rope/skipping.
There are times when we just stand on the side getting ready to jump in and we delay. We find all sorts of faults saying, that the person turning the rope doing it too fast or slow or it's just not right, so rather than jumping in, there are times we just give up all together. Hours go by while we are sitting or waiting for the perfect opportunity; days go by and eventually years go by. I think that we would rather command our Fairy Godmothers to appear and grant our every wish. We don't want to sweat or toil. We love our comfort zones. We would rather not risk.
Over the years I have been perceived by my family and friends as being somewhat a renegade, impulsive, fearless, not heeding danger, not risk averse in the least. I have asked, but is this really such a bad thing? Is it that I am not risk averse or rather that yours and my perception of risks differ? Over the years, I have gotten a lot of, "You did that! You did what? You went where? Oh my God you are brave! I would have never done that in a million years! Aren't you afraid? Curiosity killed the cat! Suppose you fail! Are you crazy? You are going to get hurt! Can you take the disappointment if things don't pan out?" I must admit that after a while it affected my psyche. It made me think that I was somewhat abnormal or just wreck less or 'gypsy-like.'
But ask me how many regrets I have had and I would probably tell you none. Good or bad I have learnt from every experience. It's not like I did some all out crazy things but rather that in my opinion I was quite decisive. I saw it at times as shooting for the stars so to speak. I saw it as being courageous. I would often give them one of my favourite sayings, "Thoughtless risks are destructive, of course, but perhaps even more wasteful is thoughtless caution which prompts inaction and promotes failure to seize opportunity." I viewed it as my wanting the apple so I knew I had to climb the tree in order to get it. I knew that on my way up, I may fall or slide back down a few times. I knew that there was the possibility that I would bruise or as we 'groot' my legs and arms. I knew that there was the possibility that I would break my arm&and that did happen but I am still breathing. Am I not?
You see we have to realize that it is "only by great risks can great results be achieved." I knew that the climb would be a struggle but I knew that when I held that apple in my hand and sat down to take my first bite that there would be immense pride in what I had accomplished. I knew that enjoying that apple would be one of my most sublime experiences of my life. It would be a lot more rewarding my calling one of my cousins to pick it for me and seeing him climb the tree and coming back down and handing it to me.
This word risk is synonymous with the word fear. Whenever someone says..."but the risks are&I asks..."and so therefore your fears are"..."why not conquer your fears?" We sit and listen to one telling us about the best opportunity in his or her life then the voice lowers, the excitement subsides and that person says in an eerie, almost monotone drone, semi whisper and hiss"...but there are great risks. Should I take them?"
My answer would be that you should listen to your own voice. I am a firm believer in that. There are those of us who would like to take risks but we are afraid of what others may say about us it may be something as simple as we are at a fete and our favourite song comes on but because nobody else dancing, we stand up there like a statue and the thing is we well want dance you know but we are afraid. We are afraid to take that risk for fear of how we may be perceived by others. One day I was struggling with a problem and David E. Fox said asked. "What would you do if everyone else was blind?" He said, 'Be courageous live your life as if the rest of the world were blind!'
In the past year, I realized that whenever I sat down to write about some cause or societal happening my own voice and life's experiences were seeping through more and more. I did not like this because all writers like to maintain a certain degree of anonymity or privacy when it comes to their own lives. Last night I sat down to write about some world changing event and I said, "What the hell! Life is about sharing one's experiences and one's truths." I write whatever comes to my mind and risks were at the forefront as I am in the process of making some life altering decisions. Instead of listening to everyone else's voice my father's voice seemed to come through clearly in the words of the song&I Hope You Dance. He used to refer to me as his 'Lil Gypsy'" meaning that I would go anywhere or do anything.
"You never know what she would do next!" He would say. "She is a free spirit, that one. She would be one of those who would sail the high seas with you in an instant, for the adventure just so she could live to tell you that tale." He did say it in a rather bemused and loving way and for the most part, he encouraged it. On Monday 27 March 2006, my father, my confidant and friend who, when I find the courage to, I will tell you about someday lost his battle with bone cancer. He was 53. After a year of denial in 'grand style,' I am finally coming to grips with the happening. I realized that in the past year I allowed his words to strengthen me and instead of crumbling rather I set out with vigor and just 'lived.' I realized that in the past year my voice seemed to change. My entire view on life changed. My values have been strengthened. I asked myself several times, 'what is life?' What is man? I asked myself what is life without family, friends and love? I asked myself what is life without risks? I have realized that the only thing in life you live to regret are the risks you didn't take so I just may be setting sail on a new adventure, because it is better to say, at least I have tried" rather than, 'I never did!'
Through his unwavering love, actions and encouragement my father Mr. Frederick Baker left me and my sister with this song... I HOPE YOU DANCE ...by Lee Ann Womack...
"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat. But always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid lover ever leave you empty handed...Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. Promise me you would give faith a fighting chance and when you get the chance to sit it out or dance...I hope you dance...I hope you dance...I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance. Living might mean taking chances. But they are worth taking, loving might be a mistake but it's worth making. Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter. When you come close to selling out Reconsider. Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance .. I hope you dance..."
"The person, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live." Leo. F. Buscaglia quotes. |
