The best things in life cannot be had without risk.
Consider:
·
Marriage is a risk.
Everyone expects it won’t be them to get divorced/be miserable/whatever it is,
but at the same time… I think every newlywed couple probably has that “50%
divorce rate” statistic that you hear everywhere echoing in their heads. You
could end up with a fulfilling and beautiful relationship that blesses you and
everyone you know for your whole lives. Or, you could end up with an ugly
divide, a weird custody arrangement (if you have kids) and the problem of who
gets the house.
·
Children are a risk. I
immediately think adoption/foster, but biological kids are a risk too. What if
they have a disorder? What if they rebel, make bad choices, ruin their lives?
What if you just can’t handle it? But of course, ask your parents and (I
hope) they’ll say it was worth it.
·
Those are just two, but I’m
sure you can come up with others. Starting a business. Playing a sport. Losing
some weight. Writing a book. Going skiing in the Alps, for crying out loud.
Whatever it is, if it’s good, you probably can’t get it without risking
something.
And if you fail? I’m currently (okay, a year ago)
reading Herodotus’ History of the Persian Wars or whatever it’s called.
At some point, Xerxes (head Persian, who is invading Greece) says to Artabanos
(reluctant Persian, who thinks it’s a bad idea, but is going along with it)—“It
is better to confidently confront all eventualities and suffer half of what we
dread than to fear every single event before it happens and never to suffer at
all.”
And of course, Xerxes does fail. Miserably. He’s the
ruler of this huge empire, and he’s beaten by a handful of sorry Greeks who
literally have never united before and never will again.
But get this! The Greeks are taking an even bigger risk than
he is! The Persians controlled much of North Africa, India, the Middle East, up
by the Black Sea… everywhere important. And it’s not like the Greeks didn’t
have a choice. They could have surrendered, gotten a governor, and paid
tribute, like everyone else. But no! The Spartans basically said, “Better to
die free than live as slaves.” The original “give me freedom or give me death.”
They were laughably, extraordinarily, fantastically lucky—and brave as heck.
They should, by all logic, have been wiped from the face of the earth. But
their huge risk paid off, and the world is a different place because of it.
What actually got me thinking about this topic was The
Blind Side. Consider: the Tuohy family took a risk. As a rule, families—even,
perhaps especially, affluent white families—do not welcome teenage males into
their homes (and definitely not black teenage males with troubled
pasts). But of course, that worked out. So, if you’re not up to The Persian
Wars, check out The Blind Side instead. And remember: with great
risks come great rewards. But first you have to take the risk.