Risk is not to be taken for granted. Vulnerability is scary and sometimes perilous. Who hasn’t felt as if dangling at times in life, left out on a branch, clutching for dear life as you carefully crawl back to safety?
Safety is smart. To be safe is to protect what you have, to value life as it is. There is wisdom in such protection and appreciating the good that the present holds. If we could all find full contentment in our lives as they are, we would wish for nothing more than to protect.
But the center does not hold. We age, we die. In surprising moments, what worked for us for great lengths suddenly appears different, not as satisfying. We must re-center throughout our lives, even when we remain mostly in place. Avoiding unnecessary danger is intelligent. Evading inevitable turbulence might be the most risky action of all.
To close ourselves from risk is to give up on opportunity. We all can do better. We all can grow and mature and find a better plateau, even if we then choose to remain on that plane for some time.