Risk not, want not?

Risk. It is the quantifiable likelihood of loss. Which is down right machine-like and numerical. The definition is satisfactory if you consider the face value of risk. Most likely we all consider loss of money, loss of property, or really anything taken away as a subtraction from the whole. It is, for lack of better analogies, the removal of n. In light of that, is it fair to say that risk can also be the qualitative likelihood of loss? And for that matter, does the least amount of risk always lead to the least amount of wanting (and thus safer route through life)?

In and of itself risk is subjective. Each of us assesses risk from our own unique point of view. I may see the loss of $500 dollars as a large risk while my wealthy uncle may consider that pennies in the the pot. This is all opinion and of course, a highly generic example. I would also submit that risk is something that varies, like chaos, through time and space while becoming all just a matter of circumstance. Which is why I believe that risk holds a qualitative aura about it too. Sure, the loss of a friend from a group of friends is a quantifiable measure. But can you quantify the loss of a friendship? Is there some numerical measure to that? Likewise can you quantify matters of the heart? Is there some magic number to love, hate, etc? I do not think there is and because of that there is part of risk that can never be understood by a loss of value n.

There is another factor to consider with risk and that is fear. Much like a square is always a rectangle but a rectangle is not always a square, fear always has an element of risk but risk does not always involve fear. Fear, by the way, is alway subjective in nature and for obvious reasons. When we engage in risky behavior we do so with an aim towards reward (and one that gets exaggerated in our minds because of the risk). Fear exacerbates this. It is clear fear and risk are in their own right motivators but they also pull us back from engaging in activities.

I think my point here is that the closer risk gets to causing us emotional harm, the less inclined we are to engage in the activity. This is an important distinction because I feel that we will much more readily jump into a physically risky situation or one where the result does not leave some emotional scar. As perviously stated, fear exacerbates this. Consider the following: a man is willing to tattoo his body, put himself on the line, and push the envelope. He is a risk taker in the truest sense of the word and so are his friends. However he is wary and concerned over risking his emotional self for the sake of love. He absolutely fears the damage that can be done. There is a certain hypocrisy in his point of view but it is so well built in that he tiptoes around the very subject. Furthermore there is a woman who plays her cards well and has put her neck out on the line to make a success out of herself. In the same token she rather lose it all than be burned at the emotional stake.

I wish I could give an explanation as to why we do not take emotional risks. I can venture to speculate and I think it may have to do with the fact that emotions are so deeply personal. If risk and fear are subjective, then the concept of emotion and what makes up emotion, are inexorably tied to our "me". It must be as in-grained as our fight or flight mechanism because we will go out of our way and do irrational things to preserve that "me" as an intact piece.

Emotional risk taking is healthy. In reality it makes us stronger and shows us the true test of our mettle. Taking a calculated emotional risk opens us up to other concepts such as trust, loyalty, and peace. None of these we can truly know by playing it safe. It is impossible to do so because we would lack the metric of joy and suffering. Risk does not always payoff, that is the point whether is be a quantified or qualified cost. We need the scars because we gain wisdom from them and in turn they help make for educated decision making as opposed to irrational-fear driven decision making.

So my dear readers, take a chance today. Boldly go where you are afraid to go emotionally and find that the adventure is not as bad as your mind will lead you to believe. Reach out and touch your "me".