Okay, maybe it not my most hated phrase. There are others that I don’t want to hear and like even less. “SIC HIM TIGER!” comes to mind.
Since COVID, a phrase has crept in to our vocabulary and is used as if it’s a good idea and a strength. That phrase is:
OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION…
Really? An ABUNDANCE of caution? Is too much caution a good thing? How about an appropriate level of caution?
Another word for this is “safetyism.” This is the idea that personal safety is the highest goal of society.
The bad news is that anything worth doing means taking on risk. Some of the things worth doing include:
Getting married: it may not work out, and it’s guaranteed to be harder than you think
Having kids: they may be a joy and they may be a bitter disappointment
Traveling: who knows what might happen while overseas?
Loving anyone: exposing your heart is going to mean pain somewhere along the way
To say nothing of eating sugar, trying a new idea at work, making a new hire, and on and on.
None of these things are safe. In fact, everything that brings you meaning in life isn’t very safe.
It’s your job to ask, “Is the risk worth the possible reward?” Not, “How can I exercise an “ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION?”
I wear my seatbelt. I don’t go base jumping. I don’t back country ski. For me, the risk isn’t worth the possible reward. Maybe it is for you. If so, do it. Just be aware of what the cost is.
Bear in mind that at the end of your life, your happiest memories and proudest accomplishments will be centered around all the unsafe things you chose to engage in.
Seek to live a full life guided by sensible precautions, not a life characterized by an ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION.
