RISK TAKING IS FINALLY FOR US
In the Netherlands, in the old times, tidal-like seawater was fortified with embankments made of sandbags. If the levee was leaking, then the nearby villages, even the mainland will experience flooding which of course was very detrimental.
One evening, a schoolboy named Hans passed by a dike on the seashore. Not a halfway around the embankment, he saw water running from the middle of the embankment when approached the levee was indeed leaking. He went to and fro looking for rocks to plug the leak. But here and there he didn’t get the stone he wanted. The day was getting darker. While going home was no longer possible because the water had begun to spill. Delayed clogging can be fatal. So, he too boldly stuffed the leaking embankment with his hand.
No doubt, Hans’s mother was looking for her child, why did not come home from the school. So he told her husband to look for the Hans. The father, assisted by his neighbors looking for the Hans, reached far to the seashore. And finally, they found that Hans was plugging a leaking embankment with his hand, while his body shivered with cold. They also cheered with joy when they found Hans, and what more encouraging was the absence of flooding because of Hans’s actions that dared to take risks: be a hero in his village.
The above story may be the sum of the desire to help with risk-taking; so, more heroic and altruist. But don’t all of us too, for our sake, take risks? We cannot drink coffee if we remain standstill. We have to go to a shop or café to buy it. Or we have to boil the water, wait for it to boil, and then brew it. How heavy those risks are, but we must go through them because that is the way to achieve our goals.
Likewise, we can also ask, “have we ever met anyone who has a happy life without daring to risk?” How could Alexander the Great surround the world, if without facing the risks of nature, animals, and other nations that stand in his way?
Become a risk-taker
If too often we “look before we go” we will “lose our boat.” Indeed, it is wise to consider the problem and its consequences, but sometimes if we “step before we see” we might “win a big prize.”
At all times and places, life demands its own risks. A wise person will avoid danger and harm situations. But the risks here are not included in that category. Many risks tend to change a person’s existence in an exciting life. For example, when accepting a new job, asking for help, expressing an opinion, or offering advice, etc.
There is a philosophy saying “whoever dares wins.” This confirms that people who avoid psychological risks will get nothing but loneliness and frustration. Many people feel lonely in this world and they don’t dare to go out of their routine, but they only wish for a miracle.
Among the efforts to cultivate the courage to take risks are:
1) We must always ask ourselves, “What can I start doing that I always avoid?” Then we have to take risks and special things, for example: reading for hours, expressing opinions, disagreeing with things that are not in accordance with our views, etc.
2) We must carry out psychological risks every day. We can record it every day. For example, “I want to talk to my uncle again,” “I refuse to work more than working hours,” or “I want to collect a debt from my friend,” etc. At the end of the week, if we have taken seven risks, we may be able to gain more confidence and more control over our own destiny.
3) As parents, we must also give our children freedom of action. We must let them assume responsibility and practice carrying out tasks that are appropriate to their level of growth and development.
4) We also do not often frighten them, the risks of failure, or prevent them from doing creative. All kinds of censorship to act can make them afraid to act.
5) Children should also be given the freedom to socialize practically. They must be allowed to meet and get acquainted with other people, for those people are also the challenges that must be solved. Togetherness with others is an exercise in affection, love, and honor; as well as training not to be afraid of competition, acting fair, and training not to cheat, to do evil, etc.
6) As teachers, it is appropriate if we facilitate our students to take risks both in the learning fields and in the co-curricular field. The principle of “learning from mistakes” from doing by themselves is more remembered in their hearts, rather than according to our instructions before they experience the acts. Hence, “what is wrong” and “what is right” are felt by them.
7) At every opportunity, we also have to tell stories about the excitement and greatness of world great personalities or national heroes. The more concrete and the closer they are to the figures, the better. The story of ‘new’ heroes who save our daily lives must count, for every day we need a hero, a person who is willing to sacrifice for others.
As a result, we as parents must educate our children from childhood with a spirit of heroism, courage, and fortitude in the face of various trials, failures, even dangers, and disasters. So that when they grow up, they can be able to struggle on their own to survive, find a fortune, work hard, and do well.
Thus, education about courage must be continuously instilled in every child, because life is full of risks. “If you don’t want to take the risk, be a beggar,” said Kahlil Gibran. But beggars also have to take risks, which are begging while looking down embarrassed.
It is best to penetrate that risk, to get what we are aiming for, especially if we take that risk, not only for ourselves but also for many people like the story of Hans above. Here we are no longer human, we are superhuman!
