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A life question.


Whip

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As I sit in a dirt parking lot in Mexico at the foot of a great pyramid I ask myself.

 

 

Is life without risk worth living?

 

 

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Dennis Andress

The simple answer is yes. The harder answer is whether you or I would find it worthwhile.

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“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
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Is life without risk worth living?

 

Fan of risk management here. I do remember the best advise my mom ever gave to me that "too much of anything is bad for you". With that info in hand, I'll do my best not to have regrets of opportunities missed before my time is up.

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... Is life without risk worth living?

For many, yes. But for others, me and I suspect you, some level of risk is essential. Obviously, being aware of and actively managing that level of risk is the fun part. :Cool:

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szurszewski

Existentially, probably not - but realistically, there's no such thing. For all we talk about eliminating risk in various things, it's hubris to really think we can. The best we can do is manage it to the level - individually - acceptable to each of us.

 

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yours :)

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A student of risk management here. That said, to answer your question, a good friend of mine once said to me, "Life is like going to a party. You don't want to wake up the next day and get asked what you did at the party only to respond - I ate nothing, did not dance, did not talk with anyone, just sat by myself and watched."

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A student of risk management here. That said, to answer your question, a good friend of mine once said to me, "Life is like going to a party. You don't want to wake up the next day and get asked what you did at the party only to respond - I ate nothing, did not dance, did not talk with anyone, just sat by myself and watched."

 

 

I like that

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szurszewski
A student of risk management here. That said, to answer your question, a good friend of mine once said to me, "Life is like going to a party. You don't want to wake up the next day and get asked what you did at the party only to respond - I ate nothing, did not dance, did not talk with anyone, just sat by myself and watched."

 

Sometimes it's fun to sit back and watch the party. Of course, it helps to be drinking while you're doing it and you've GOT to have someone else watching with you to talk to about all the stuff going on...so I guess that would tick at least two of those boxes anyway :)

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"Life is like going to a party. You don't want to wake up the next day and get asked what you did at the party only to respond - I ate nothing, did not dance, did not talk with anyone, just sat by myself and watched."

 

And on the flipside, sure hope I wasn't an a--hole and, how did I get home? :facepalm::rofl:

 

 

Pat

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When I was younger I went to concerts but didn't remember who played... Does that count?

 

Depends, did you inhale? :grin:

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Risk is worthwhile if you find the reward fulfilling. I know a couple gentlemen who are totally cerebral; they do not do any physical activity beyond walking and lawn bowling, yet they are very happy. Conversely, I know a couple of very unhappy ex-competitors who will not participate without the chance of winning. Understanding why you do something seems as important as understanding the outcome.

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It is easy to say risk is the spice of life. But till you learn to handle the consequences you just don't know for sure. In my 20's I lost two of my best friends a few months apart. One was riding out to see me and lost his life in a motorcycle accident, the other standing where he should have been safe and killed in a coal mine roof fall. What do you do? Should I hang up the helmet and not work in coal mining?

 

Just happened I had sold my motorcycle a few weeks before. Didn't get back into riding for a long time. For different reasons as well as the ones you would suspect.

 

As I look back over time, the very best memories I have are often laced with a bit of risk. Maybe quite a bit. I am still making good memories!

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One man's perception of risk is another man's upshift.

 

Sometimes agreeing on what is risky is easy, sometimes, not so much.

 

chris, love the game theory, had stumbled down that alley also...

:wave:

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Is life without risk worth living?

 

 

...a question only survivors get to ponder.

 

Maybe.

 

But I could argue that somewhere those who haven't survived

are talking about the same thing.

Best wishes.

:lurk:

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Dave McReynolds
Define risk?

 

I think risk is a perception in the mind of the beholder. Some years ago, we had a discussion on here about risk homeostasis, which had a profound effect on my thinking on the subject. Risk homeostasis posits that we all have risk comfort zones, with both maximums and minimums that we avoid exceeding. Too low risk levels and we become bored; too high and we become uncomfortable. For some people, going out to get the newspaper in the morning involves an uncomfortable level of risk; for others, rock climbing with ropes is boring and they have to climb without ropes to reach an acceptable level of risk to energize them. Closer to home here, the theory posits that increasing safety measures, like wearing a helmet, will shift the risk homeostasis comfort zone and result in riskier behavior to maintain a rider's desired risk comfort level. I have read studies since that question the validity of the concept of risk homeostasis, but it sure rang a bell with me. In human sciences like psychology, it is difficult to find anything that is true at all times and places, but I'm sure that risk homeostasis is true for some, if not all people.

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Joe Frickin' Friday
Define risk?

 

Define risk? That's easy:

 

Risk is uncertainty of outcome.

 

Any course of action:

  • going for a ride
  • buying a house
  • investing in a particular stock
  • asking someone out on a date

is about pursuing a good outcome and accepting the possibility, i.e. the risk, that you may end up with a bad outcome instead.

 

You can reduce the probability of bad outcomes:

  • get training, don't ride at ten tenths (less likely to crash)
  • buy smoke alarms (less likely to burn down before you put the fire out)
  • do your investment research (better chance of picking a healthy company), or go for a mutual fund instead (no single company can destroy your investment)
  • ask for a date with someone who's probably going to accept (less chance of striking out)

 

In certain cases, you can mitigate the consequences of bad outcomes:

  • ATGATT (less injury in a crash)
  • ?
  • ?
  • drink heavily to dull the pain of rejection

 

In other cases, you can pay someone else to take on some/all of the risk:

  • ?
  • get homeowner’s insurance, with or without a deductible
  • ?
  • ?

 

As John notes, Whip’s question is one only survivors get to ponder. And among survivors, I think the answer to the question of how much risk is acceptable probably varies greatly depending on one’s age and in particular on whether one has experienced (or almost experienced) bad outcomes. Imagine two teens hooning it up on crotchrockets; one of them crashes and spends two weeks in the ICU, and when he gets out, he will probably have a very different perspective on risk than his buddy. We all know what the good outcome of riding is like, but I think only people who have crashed and/or been injured know how truly scary and/or painful a bad outcome really is; their opinion on risk is better informed than most.

 

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Thanks Joe F. F. ...Mitch

 

I am now back from Central America...after taking a risk.

 

I have not processed all the risk/rewards of the adventure yet and may never be truly able to put it in perspective.

 

..but I am glad I did it.

 

Much like running a marathon, during the actual event you doubt yourself and wish you had done something/anything else, but when you have accomplished your goal and can look back on it you feel much better.

 

Ride Tale to follow

 

L

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As I sit in a dirt parking lot in Mexico at the foot of a great pyramid I ask myself.

 

 

Is life without risk worth living?

 

 

As a pragmatic, I've never been afraid of risk because I believe, "What's the very worst that can happen?" Usually, the answer isn't so bad. A number of years ago, I threw complete caution to the wind and moved to an unknown city to work with someone I had never met. At the time, I had nothing to lose and gave up most everything to be there. While it probably didn't turn out as well as my new friend had hoped for, for me, and at that particular time in my life, it was the best thing I could have done. High risk, high reward. To this day, still grateful for that opportunity and risk.

Edited by Tasker
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