Are We Too Risk Conscious These Days by Bakhtawar Ahmed
An
energetic young boy
All
his life he had been so coy
That
he surprised all by speaking against the ploy
Of
his daddy, that even it made him wry
“Dear
son”, he said, ”Oh son”, he cried,
It’s
now time for you to decide
Whether
in your life you want to take a smooth ride
Or
endeavor to sail over threatening tides
I
now consider you the heir
Of
my business enterprise
You
are now the one to rear
The
business I have built all my life
“Daddy”,
he said, “Oh daddy”, he cried,
“It’d
be better for me, not from you to hide
That
this one time, I am not going to bide
What
you for me did decide
My
passion, my love is to pursue
Research
in my future life
I’ve
always wanted to do something new
On
the mysteries of science to shed some light.”
“But
son”, he said, “BEWARE!”
“It’s
too risky for you to dare
To
do something new is as full of danger
As
confiding your secrets in a stranger.”
“Daddy,”
he said, “for humans to progress,
‘Tis
imperative for us to transgress
From
the societal norms
Though
others may think it can cause harm.”
“What
if you won’t anywhere get hired?
What
if everyone refuses you a job?
What
if you can’t even clear the exams?
That
are, it seems to me, designed to fail all.”
“Oh
daddy”, he said, “had Columbus thought,
What
if on my voyage by pirates I am caught?
What
if I get lost in the ocean,
By
sharks I am eaten or drowned by some storm?
Would
he have discovered America at all?
These
What-iffers in the disguise
Of
a wise and calculated approach to life
Hinder
the way of humans to achieve the great
Or
to make one’s wildest dreams come true
“Daddy”,
he says, “just think for a while
If
Wrights had wanted to stay on safe side
Refused
to take some choices so hard
Would
any plane now take flight?
Today
our minds are so preoccupied
We
deem on money, on safety does depend our life
That
we are so hesitant to let our children,
Tread
on grounds never trodden before.
“Oh
son, my son! Please think wise,
At
your reckless age such thoughts seem nice
But
this can be the cause of losses so huge
So
it’s best for you to be safe and be good!”
“Heavens”,
he said, “I leave it to you,
To
answer if one would like to be safe and be good
Or
to take a chance and be great?
To
cajole you I think this query’s a nice bait
To
put it in the words of Helen Keller
“Life
is either a daring adventure or nothing”.
And
quoting Goethe, another famous poet
“Safety’s
among life’s dangers infinite.”
We
have become so risk conscious these days
Always
afraid to try new ways
Gratified
to stay as a pupa in cocoon,
Hesitant
to discover the delights of life’s maze
“Oh
my son, it’s been the yearning of my heart
From
which, the way you talk it seems I’ll have to part
To
see you settled with a happy life
And
cute little children, a beautiful wife
I
thought you’d be the one to run
My
business while I would play with the grandchildren
And
in the evening when you would return
We
would all together have great fun
Even
now it’s not too late,
For
you to decide your own fate
Do
not let these contagious thoughts raid
Your
mind. I hope they’ll eventually fade.”
“I
am sorry dad you might think I am bad,
But
let me reiterate
That
man is never born a slave
To
society, to parents, to curbs, no not a tad.
We
live our lives to do great deeds
Risk
consciousness to me is just a weed
To
be removed from among our desires
To
let thyself really live thy’s life.”
Now
that you have read what the son said,
You
can relate the conversation to yourself
Because
in our society, risk averse-ness is so wide spread
Though
people can’t be blamed because that’s how they were bred
Just
ask yourself, what is the cause
Of
us lagging behind all?
It
would not be wrong to say
Risk
consciousness had got in the way
By
giving some examples let me reiterate
When
it’s time for betrothal for a girl
For
her mom to select her possible suitor
A
boy of the clan she’d prefer
By
the unhappiness of her daughter she will not be deterred
Because
the mom has so many misgivings in her head
About
anyone who’s been in some distant land bred,
The
prospect for such a man seems to her paltry
Because
an “outsider” is unacceptable to avert any jeopardy
As
on mind uncertainties crowd
About
many things people are in doubt
Their
instinct will push ‘em to seek the truth
To
take a risk, but in our society, it’s disallowed
The
cavemen had a mind so brave
They
didn’t fear to undertake
A
journey to some distant land
That
was for discovery’s sake
As
they settled in places new
Their
worries lessened to a few
Hurrah!
Risk taking did it all
If
Robert Frost were here today
This
is what he would say,
“Two
roads diverged in the woods, and We,
We
took the one more traveled by,
And
that has created all the woes"
To
the risk averse society of present day,
Anais
Nin for you has something to say
“And
the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud,
Was
more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
1 comments
Good one Bakhtawar
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