Secure…or not?

Security is a superstition, it does not exist in nature.  Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.                    ~ Helen Keller

I wonder how many of us have reminded our loved ones to “be careful.”  As I get older, I find myself more and more often telling them to “have fun” or “enjoy yourself.”  Certainly we want them (especially children) to exercise good judgment and even caution when they first start to solo.  But it was never my intention to make my children so cautious or fearful that they couldn’t have a good time.  I hope they didn’t interpret it that way.  When a child grows up scared of too many things she has a huge obstacle to overcome in adulthood.

I’ve thought a great deal about security these last few years.  I thought I had a secure marriage but I didn’t.  If what Helen Keller said is true, then is all security a myth?  A false security?  Another famous American woman had something to say about this as well.  Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier.”  She doesn’t mention the word security here but I think it is implicit in what she’s saying.  Okay.  Bear with me.  I’m trying to think this through for myself.  If there’s no real security, and if I can get an adrenalin rush from fear or from courage, why don’t I jump in feet first and sink or swim?

I wrote about finding adventure in a recent post.  I guess I’m still doing that.  Perhaps I’m trying to convince myself that I’m up to it, that I can be adventurous.  Margaret Deland said, “As soon as you feel too old to do a thing, do it.”  Understand I’m not feeling all that old.  But I have thought of a number of things recently that I might want to do, things that  I haven’t done in a long time, and I’ve shrugged them off and said, “Nah.  Maybe not.”  Tomorrow I’m going to make a list of things I might want to do.  Then I’m going to survey the list and say, “Why not?” or “Maybe so.”

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