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Life is Risk



John F Kennedy was a fantastic orator and gave many profound and impactful speeches. Of all of his thought-provoking quotes, one of my favorites is, “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.” President Kennedy led our nation during some very tumultuous and volatile times. There were seasons of extreme uncertainty with seemingly no right answers to issues the world faced.

As the nation sought safety and security, Kennedy understood risks must be taken to ensure the protection of our nation. Safety and security are illusions. Both action and inaction entail risk. A decision to act or a decision not to decide each brings with it certain hazards. Life is fraught with danger regardless of what you do. The moment you were conceived, you started facing risks. In fact, life is so risky, it will kill you eventually. Guaranteed.

You can choose to proactively take the risk of action on your terms, with a potential benefit or payoff on the other side. Or you can choose to passively accept the risk of inaction and throw yourself at the mercy of indecision. “No risk” is not an option. And a life without daring is perhaps the most perilous life of all.

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