How Big A Leap Is It?
Adrenaline junkies. You know a few of these people, right? They’re the sort of brave souls who like to skydive and hang glide and swim with things that could chomp them in half. They dangle from cliffs and crawl through caves. On a slow day, they’ll strap themselves into the biggest roller coaster and eat stuff that might be poisonous. There are entire industries set up to cater to thrill seekers like these, genres of books, video games and movies established to draw them in. The buzz that comes with this lifestyles isn’t all that mysterious. Call it embracing the id, revisiting one’s inner cave person, or just taking an extreme vacation from the monotony of modern existence. Sometimes life feels a little more special when one plays nicky nine doors with death. I get it. There’s no way in hell anyone would ever catch me doing anything like this, but I get it.
I’d like to suggest, however, that when we think of taking risks, making leaps, being brave, this shouldn’t be the first thing that comes to mind. This isn’t to say that there isn’t a certain amount (maybe even a lot) of gumption required to do any of the things mentioned above, but I’d wager that it takes a lot more guts to do other things, things that don’t necessarily involve staring into the jaws of death.
Let’s start with being a stranger in a strange land. I’ve never done this one either (except for vacations), but I’ve known and taught a whole lot of people who have. I can say without hesitation that learning a new language, and committing to speak it, requires a person to “grow a pair” in ways that adventure seekers may never appreciate. To do it properly, a person has to accept that they’re going to look stupid (really, really stupid) on a regular basis. They’re going to be misunderstood, maybe even inadvertently get people angry at them. They’re going to be lonely, and wish there were more people with whom they could share their innermost thoughts without the aid of a phrasebook or a translator. Pretty gutsy stuff, non?
What about being an artist? All those ideas you think people will find silly or obnoxious, perhaps even incendiary? They’re going to come out in the work you produce, be it music, painting, writing, dance or drama. Whether your work is well-received or widely-ridiculed, whenever something creative makes its way out into the world, the creator risks looking stupid. It’s part of the job description, a gamble at best, and perhaps the mark of a good artist is the ability to make educated guesses about risk versus reward, to be able to say with confidence that the product of one’s busy brain is worth being made to feel foolish. Also gutsy.
The list of risky ventures doesn’t end there. We take incredible leaps when we fall in love, become a parent, take up public speaking, or start a business. In each case, there’s a very real possibility that we’ll have our pride mushed up and served to us on toast. So why is it that we oooh and ahh over those who willingly take on physical danger, but other acts of bravery, like the ones I’ve listed here, fade into the noise? What’s the difference, anyway?
Well, the first kind of risk-taking, if everything goes wrong, results in being a blurry splatter somewhere, or at least spending a great deal of time in traction. I’m not denying that it takes a fair helping of gumption to climb a rock face or crawl through caves. The other kind of risky activities, however, require that you actually live with the results. If everything goes wrong, there’s pride, self-confidence, and relationships on the line. What’s worse, one might be required to give it another try, to risk screwing up again, and again…and again. These kinds of risks are undertaken without the promise of an immediate endorphin buzz. There’s no line of gear to purchase, no electrolyte drink to replenish one’s energy mid-task. Some adventures can’t be captured with a GoPro.
Still a rush, nonetheless. Here’s to all kinds of bravery, and to the thrill of the leap, whether it be over a cliff, into the deep, or somewhere a little more metaphorical.
