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The greatest risk in life is to risk nothing...

Life sometimes seems to be little more than one risk after the next, a roller-coster ride punctuated by spikes of high-octane adrenaline:

At risk over the Namib desert, Namibia, Dec 2002

Really? Few of us experience such an exaggerated existence with any regularity. More often we might relate to other times when we are afraid of change, and life stagnates while we deliberate over the course we should take... when we try to minimize the risks we perceive.

Going through some things I found a hand-written quotation that a friend gave me some 17 years ago, entitled "Risk". The context of this gift is long forgotten, but I suspect most who read these words will relate to them presently or past. A Google search reveals this is a widely distributed piece, but the text is as variable as the attribution. I wonder who wrote this, or a form like it, originally? In any case, apologies to whomever did if this is a misquote, but they are wise sentiments that deserve to be shared:

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool
To weep is to risk being called sentimental
To reach out to another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self
To place your ideas and dreams before the crowd is to risk being called naive
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair
To try is to risk failure
The greatest risk in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing
Only the person who risks is truly free.

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