In the original post on the Myth of Stability I mentioned that people like, perhaps even need, stability.  It’s how we predict what’s going to happen to us in the future.  It’s how we talk ourselves into falling asleep at night.  It’s how we get up to face the next day.  Because lets face it, if you knew disaster was just around the bend, would you really feel like getting up?

But I must concede, not everyone seems to like stability.  Take, for instance, Scott Cassell who likes to swim with ravenously hungry squid.

While most of us want something safe and controlled, there are some people who seek out true adventure and danger.  These people appeal to us.  We dream about a life as exciting as theirs as we do our grocery shopping or take the car in to get it’s oil changed.

Even our entertainment is filled with excitement.  Star Wars wouldn’t have been much of a movie if Luke had decided he really wanted to stay home and farm.  Die Hard wouldn’t have become the movie it was if Bruce Willis had decided he didn’t really need the trouble of investigating the crime – he was off duty after all.

If we crave stability, why do we seek out these adventure stories?

I believe it’s because we know we are made for more than the mundane.  Yes.  We seek stability.  Yes.  We try to create a world that’s completely safe.  But what if we were never meant to live that way?  What if instead of seeking out adventure, we were supposed to seek out life?  How would your life look?  How would you look?

What if you made choices based on adventure and your potential, then playing it safe?

photo provided by flickr