Feeling Safe About Being Risky
When I was little, my dad taught me to never leave my shoelaces untied, in case I fell over.
When I was older, my school taught me never to wear revealing clothes, in case I attracted attention.
When I was an adult, my manager taught me never to question the rules, in case I got shouted at.
Guess what?
I tied my shoelaces, and I still fell over.
I wore big, loose clothes, and I still attracted attention.
I kept in line, and I still got shouted at.
We’re encouraged to do things that help us mitigate risk. And that’s kind and good and useful to help us survive.
But some of us are born ‘riskier’ than others.
No amount of mitigation will remove the person I truly am: barefoot, clad in hot pants and consistently curious.
Perhaps, rather than asking others to make themselves safe in a risky world …
… we could attempt to create a world in which it is safe to be risky.