Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.”
Those words have a much deeper meaning in today’s world of Patriot Acts, but that’s really a much larger discussion. Visiting Alaska taught me there is only so much you can do to protect yourself from grizzlies, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take that hike. I learned that more people are killed in the state by moose than bears, but no one has nightmares about Bullwinkle. In Australia a few years ago, I was startled to find out that falling coconuts kill far more people than great white sharks, but they’ve never made a movie about murderous tropical fruit raining down from the sky, while more than 30 years later, Jaws still has the power to terrify.
I have sometimes been questioned and chastised by people who perceive something I’ve done as dangerous and wonder aloud why I would take such risks. “You travel alone?” “I can’t believe you rode in a hot air balloon!” “What could possess you to climb a mountain?” I understand their need to maintain the illusion that everyday life is safe; that if you just keep your head down and stick close to home, bad things won’t happen to you. I just have a different perspective. I recognize life’s dangers, and I choose—while I’m traveling alone—to always wear my seatbelt and sunscreen.
