The X Games

I was watching the X Games this weekend (I love watching them) and was thinking about risk taking behaviour and what is a risk. I found it funny that the surfers thought the guys that did the motor sport and skate boarders were taking risks that scared them and that the Big Trick skateboard guys thought the guys that did Big Air guys were nuts.

And what is the nature of a risk and when is it acceptable to the individual and what makes others see it as risk taking behaviour?

People (and my mother) have always told me I’m a risk taker and what would make me do different things. I have almost never seen whatever the behaviour was as a risk. Is it the same with the X Gamers?

I usually go on whether it looks fun or whether it was necessary in my view or whether I just wanted to try it once and depending on the outcome whether I wanted to try it again.

Things like white water rafting a Class IV rapid comes under the fun category as did jumping from high places to see if I could fly did when I was small. Backpacking, horse back riding, rock climbing, roller coasters all come under was it going to be fun? And if it was, let’s do it again! Talking my friends into riding a Flex-Flyer down a steep hill with people to stop traffic probably came under the stupid but fun bin. Some things of course weren’t so fun after I tried them like rock climbing. I took that in college because either sailing or rock climbing was required for my major since I had already taken survival and back packing/cross- country skiing.

I ended up on a big rock face and one of my arches collapsed and broke. Broken foot not so fun. Can only do one roller coaster a day now because I rolled my car 10 years ago and it brings on concussion symptoms, not so fun anymore. In California driving is a risk taking behaviour but we do it almost every day and don’t think about it.

These can also be things like performing on stage and whether you know your material is the amount of risk versus the existence of the audience and how big the audience is to determine the size of the risk. Entering the County Fair is risk taking behaviour according to some but it was something I always wanted to do, so I did. And I won ribbons, so I kept it up. Getting my stories published or competing on any level at any thing is a risk when you come down to it. At the least you might fail or make a fool of yourself, at the most you could get hurt.

Under the ‘was it was necessary?’ category come things like Coming out of the Closet. When I came out in 1979 it was a bigger risk than it is now. But that was an enormous risk at the time. I lost friends I will never get back. I’ve not gotten hired and I’ve gotten fired because I was out. Following my heart and becoming a pagan was a risk. I’ve had notes on my car from strangers. I’ve been attacked at work because I was an out pagan. I will always choose out rather than in the closet. It’s just who I am.

These were all part of me being authentic to my heart and what I believe so is it really a risk? How much fear are you willing to live with to get the rush that comes from having succeeded. And even if you don’t succeed do you still get the rush because you tried?

Under the ‘I’ll try it once’ category came my ill-fated drug career in 1973. Tried marijuana and was horribly allergic. Once was enough, trust me. The older I get the less willing I am to do things that I know will hurt like hell if I screw up.

So what is a risk and when is it an acceptable risk? Do you pay attention when other people tell you, don’t do it? Do you do take the risk anyway? And what is risk-management? And how do you decide? And is simply daring to be different and follow the path less taken what life is about and not a risk at all?