Risks and Rewards

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.

Worries

I am worried about my country. It seems like wherever I look in the news, there are tales of corruption, incompetence, malicious partisanship, and simple stupidity. No one seems to have both the courage to act and the ability to inspire others to act.

Of course, the news focuses on the bad things and on politics, which I think has always been divided. But my peers would be no better, were they in those positions. Even those I like I might not trust with much responsibility. I have flaws, too, of course--I'm not saying I don't. I'm just as guilty of not doing the right thing, then trying to pass the blame.

In human terms, the answer is plain. People need to take responsibility for their actions, strive to be honest and selfless on a personal level (as well as professionally), and help their families do the same.

As someone trying to be "better than all that," I know it's easy to say and hard to do. "For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing."

I wonder if Cicero knew that he stood at the end of a great republic. For my own sake, I hope we don't need a Cicero today.

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