麻豆原创

You鈥檝e heard the idea before: The higher the risk, the greater the reward.

You鈥檙e familiar with those people in your personal and professional life whom you would call risk-takers, the ones who casually skydive on a Sunday afternoon and post their death-defying pictures on their social media feeds.

You might also know a few people who avoid taking risks in any aspect of their lives, from their financial investments to trying new foods to getting on an airplane. We call them risk averse. My wife calls them smart, since she鈥檚 one of them.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e young,鈥� my father told me after I graduated from high school. 鈥淵ou have time. You don鈥檛 have any family commitments. Take some risks! See the world!鈥�

When he was my age, he joined the Navy. I was a trumpet player and rock guitarist in high school. I had no dreams to become a soldier or even see the world, but I understood what he was saying.

One of my favorite presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote eloquently about taking risks. He said that if you fail, at least you fail 鈥渨hile daring greatly.鈥�

While I was junior at Southampton College in New York, I landed a writing job on a television show, packed up my car, drove across the United States, and spent five years living in Los Angeles writing for the film and television industries. I had quit school and taken a risk. My dad was proud. I eventually returned to Florida, earned my degrees at 麻豆原创, and became an instructor at 麻豆原创 with industry experience. The risk paid off.

One of my favorite presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote eloquently about taking risks. He said that if you fail, at least you fail 鈥渨hile daring greatly.鈥� If you don鈥檛 take a risk, you鈥檒l never know victory or defeat.

Library bookshelves buckle under the weight of risk-takers who explored the earth, dared to rise up against oppressive governments, and sought the stars (among a billion other goals that at first seemed far too risky). I鈥檝e always attached equal measures of awe and nobility to people willing to sacrifice everything for a dream. They decided that the risk was worth it.

However, this year nearly all aspects of our lives have become much riskier. Situations that never had any risk attached now set off alarms. Do I send my kids back to face-to-face classes? Do I return to my job and wear my mask? How safe will that be? It鈥檚 a strange new world for us all. Who thought going to a wedding or a football game or a supermarket would become a high-risk situation with terrible consequences?

Our tolerance for risk is informed by the way we were raised, our personalities, and our current lives (for example, a young mother might avoid skydiving, while her grandmother happily jumps out of a perfectly good airplane).

I consider myself a fairly aggressive risk-taker. I鈥檝e been an avid road cyclist for over 10 years, braving the treacherous roads of Central Florida. While I鈥檝e never been struck by a car, I鈥檝e been grazed, buzzed, spat at, cursed at, and literally run off the road. If it鈥檚 so dangerous, why do I keep riding? The adrenaline rush, the fitness, and the joy of being outdoors are worth the danger to life and limb. That鈥檚 a decision I鈥檝e made, one with which you may not agree.

That鈥檚 okay. I think skydivers, people who eat shellfish, and those who ride motorcycles without helmets are all insane for taking those risks; however, who am I to judge? I鈥檝e never done those things, so I鈥檝e never experienced the rewards. Risk is a matter of personal choice and perspective. Are we looking at all the pieces that go into a decision so that we can better see the big picture?

Admittedly, risk-takers like me have become experts at dismissing consequences. Don鈥檛 spoil the fun by mentioning that I might die on my bicycle. I am fully aware of the risks I am taking. I don鈥檛 need your reminder. But what about my family? Am I being too selfish?

I鈥檓 honestly unsure if I鈥檇 be a road cyclist were my daughters younger. Now that they are both in their 20s, my choices don鈥檛 strike quite as hard, but every time I go out, the fear does cross my mind.

It鈥檚 quality of life vs. safety, and we鈥檙e wrestling with that every day now. I won鈥檛 judge you if you decide to eat at a socially distanced restaurant or work out at your local gym, so long as you and those facilities are adhering to the current precautionary guidelines. The problem occurs when your risk infringes on someone else鈥檚 rights, and that鈥檚 something we all need to carefully consider.

Make no mistake. These are risky times鈥攁ll the more reason to be empathetic and kind to each other. As Knights we boldly charge on toward our futures, keenly aware that while greatness requires risk, everyone鈥檚 tolerance level is different, and that鈥檚 OK.

Peter Telep is a senior instructor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of English. He can be reached at Peter.Telep@ucf.edu.

The 麻豆原创 Forum is a weekly series of opinion columns from faculty, staff and students who serve on a panel for a year. A new column is posted each Wednesday on 麻豆原创 Today and then broadcast on W麻豆原创-FM (89.9) between 7:50 and 8 a.m. Sunday. Opinions expressed are those of the columnists, and are not necessarily shared by the 麻豆原创.