Slippery Slope

Life can be somewhat of a slippery slope, or at least we can see it that way in our mind's eye, at times.

How our thoughts progress can make some things appear to be very tenuous and risky, at the best. At other times, in our thought processes, an inherent sense of safety abounds. No slippery slope there, or if there is, it appears to be minimal.

Sometimes, we may have too much of a sense of safety and try to take on things that could be potentially unsafe for us to tackle, at any age.

This is true of a baby or toddler, trying to get out of a high chair, crib or day bed. He or she thinks it is time to try and figures out a way to do so, perhaps totally unaware that a tumble onto a hard floor, might really hurt.

Even a young child does not hesitate to try to climb a huge, oak tree, far beyond his or her awareness of his or her ability to climb. His or her thought processes present the experience in a positive light. To him or her, it is possible.

A ten year old will take a canoe or kayak out into the water alone, without having any sense of danger, if the opportunity presents itself. A twelve year old will climb the face of a rock cliff, even when warned not to do so.

In a negative light, a fourteen year old may not hesitate to smoke, drink or try drugs, not realizing the seriousness of what he or she is doing.

Older teenagers take all kinds of serious risks. They learn to drive, thoroughly enjoying the slippery slopes in their lives. It does not take long and they leave home, often against the better judgment of their parents.

For almost everyone, there is a sense of safety and security, combined with the need for exploration and adventure. This continues on into our adult years, with the slippery slope gradually being perceived more and more, in terms of the reality of risk taking.

Young adults do not hesitate to take on marriage partners, in spite of the high rates of marriage breakups. They begin to start their own families and take risks along with them.

For most older children, teenagers and adults, there is increasing awareness of the reality of possibility, combined with the reality of adverse, or negative life experiences happening.

Even the young, older and oldest elderly seem to have no problem taking on a risk or two, when the human thought process presents positive possibilities, as the end result.

Why not take the risk?

We think in such a way that we can see that there is lots to gain and nothing to lose. Unfortunately, that may not always be the case, particularly when the slippery slope becomes even more slippery, over time.

Success and failure are the direct result of our daily, active thought processes. When we see something as being to our benefit or advantage, as well as something that is possible, we are highly likely to attempt it even when there are risks involved.

Looking back, we might think about how crazy something we did was, and laugh at the reality that against all odds, we succeeded in doing it. Perhaps it could have turned out differently, but it didn't.

We think about risk taking and relish in the fact that in spite of the wide range of risks we encounter every day, things usually turn out for the better, not for the worse.

Life is full of possibilities intertwined with slippery slopes of various kinds, but is that not what makes life fun, too?