I went bicycle-riding with some people whom I like to spend time with.
We were riding a single track dirt trail.
For some distance we traversed the side of a mountain, and the mountain dropped off fairly steeply right next to the trail with no safeguards to assure that a rider might not experience that steepness.
One of our party was a little leery of that part of the trail.
I, being of a gender such that I think I need to infuse wisdom into every scenario, said, "I don't care what the topography does over there because I'm not going there.
I'm going down the trail, so whatever happens in a place other than on the trail, I don't really care.
" Well, I've thought about that since that time, and I still think it's a good way to think about thing--at least some things.
But I must admit that if someone placed a plank between two 50-story buildings and told me to walk across, I would be nervous and afraid.
I could say that I don't care that on both sides of the plank is certain death because I'm not going there, but to be sure, I would be afraid.
Even if that plank were four feet wide, I would still be reticent to walk across.
Life offers us a lot of new experiences quite often.
There are a lot of dangers in life.
There are "wild animals" out there that can eat us.
But the fact is that we can't get anywhere close to where a person should be without taking on a good bit of that danger.
Now, those of us who are past certain experiences might not think of them as dangerous at all, but to those coming behind, there is danger.
I know a teen age girl who will leave her parents' home and go off to college this Fall.
She is quite worried about it.
She will have to live with other girls that she has never before seen.
What if she doesn't like them, or worse, what if they don't like her? I didn't, but I could have told her that she is going off to school to make her life better, and whether her roommates like her or not is beside the point.
The fact is, that would not have helped at all.
To be liked is very important to teenagers.
There is danger in having to live with perfect strangers.
I was honestly quite amused because I've already been through college.
I lived with people who were perfect strangers and are now very good friends.
I'm sure she'll be fine.
But she is not sure.
Still there is honesty in the fact that going to college is the important part of the whole thing.
She is trying to improve her life, and college will help, regardless of roommates.
As we approach dangerous things in life--learning to ride a bicycle as a child, going on a first date as a teenager, going to college or leaving the security of our parents' home as young adults, getting married and having a family, trying to have a good job and trying to get ahead in that job, taking on added responsibility that we are not completely qualified for, buying a house, starting a business, trying to do things that our acquaintances might judge us harshly for if we fail, and many other things--we must to some degree have the attitude about things that are of worth to us: "Damn the torpedoes.
Full speed ahead.
" Every day, we must do three things: 1.
Decide where we're going and assess what dangers we will encounter on the way.
Are we willing to face those dangers? Is the destination worth what it takes to get there? If so, disregard the torpedoes.
Press ahead.
2.
Prepare.
The only way to vanquish each danger is to prepare.
Whatever 'wild animals" there are out there that can eat us, we can eat them or at least pull out all their teeth and kick their back sides, if we prepare.
There are people who get a kick out of walking a tight rope between buildings taller than 50 stories.
They had to prepare to get to that point.
We can at least have a good or realistic attitude about anything that might happen or has happened.
3.
Be careful.
Even as prepared as we think we are, dangers are dangerous.
I am amazed at the new things I have tried and found them to be completely different from what I thought they would be.
So I try to prepare even better for the dangers I can see coming at me, and still there are always unforeseen parts that take me by surprise.
A better way of saying, "Be careful" is "Be wise.
" Don't get too deep in alligators, don't ride on too steep a mountain, don't get too close to the edge.
Don't get cocky with an attitude of being able to handle anything without preparing and then leaving a buffer for the "who-knows-what?".
Life is amazing, great, and fun, but only if we are making progress.
Embrace the danger, make progress toward worthy destinations, prepare as well as you can, and be wise.
Press ahead.