Too risky

 The walking home in the dark video garnered quite a few comments about my safety. The word safety has been bandied around a lot in the last few years. How do you know what is safe and what isn't? Everyone has their own measures of what is safe. I say it is down to personal risk assessment. All activities have a degree of risk attached to them. We can all work out how risk averse we are, and whether to take chances with anything we are not sure about. 

In the video I was about 20 minutes from home, in an area I walk frequently. I didn't get my torch out, even when I walked through a small wood. I know the ground like the back of my hand. I very rarely see anyone else in that area. If I walk in an unfamiliar place I would get back before dark. That is my risk assessment. 

I would be more nervous walking about in a city or town centre at night. I may never do that again. My assessment would tell me there are lots of places to hide in a concrete jungle, and to expect that someone might be lurking around a corner. I would be more cautious in that setting. 

Every activity we do, every encounter that we have on a day to day basis, can be risk assessed. I think it is risky to drink several pints of beer every night. My dad did and died at 46 of a heart attack. I think it is risky to eat out a lot. You don't know how clean the kitchens are, or what they are putting in the food. It is risky to climb a mountain, I won't try that. It would be too risky for me to get into a swimming pool. I hate deep water and would probably sink in a panic. Other people love swimming. 

When you go through life you sometimes have to listen to warnings from others. It would be folly not to.  Others may be possibly more aligned to the actual risk of some activities, depending on their experiences and qualifications on the subject. To put your trust entirely in the hands of others can be a mistake. Yes, take advice, listen to what they have to say, but listen to that niggling question in the back of your mind.

 The overriding factor of decision making should be how will this affect me. Is this the best option for me. And will I be able to deal with the consequences should it not work out well. There is always the option of casting fate to the wind and forging blindly ahead. It's easy to ignore the niggling doubts and go with the flow. Safety in numbers eh!. I'll do what they are doing, must be alright. They must know what they are doing, so I'll follow them. It's ok to do that, if that's what you feel comfortable about. But the bottom line is, if you screw up you learn from it, change direction and vow never to do that again. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona