I'm a big fan of prevention. Yet, I know that some problems can't be avoided for all kinds of reasons. However, I think that using preventative strategies is a positive first step when it comes to any potential hurt, danger, or harm.
As I watch the news about the devastating floods in Texas, floods that took the lives of far too many people including so many children, I wonder if those deaths could have been prevented. Were there sufficient warning systems in place to keep people safe? I'm not alone with this question as there have been many related reports. Could this tragedy have been prevented or at least mitigated?
Rather than facing unnecessary trauma and pain, I like to think about ways to prevent trauma and pain with positive decisions, actions, and plans.
Yet, as noted before, you can't prevent all trauma and pain--accidents happen, and sometimes people make a choice to risk safety in order to gain something more such as a thrill, pleasure, or challenge. To be too safety-conscious might prevent a spirit of joy, happiness, and adventure. For example, many still surf in waters where sharks live. It's a calculated risk since shark attacks are rare, but shark attacks do happen so people who surf in those waters do take a chance. Driving in a car or riding on a plane has a low level of risk, but it is risk, so people who fly or drive in a car do take a risk, but these are risks most people take.
As with all of life's choices, there's a good balance to be had with regard to prevention and risk. You don't want to be so safety-conscious that your miss out on living life in joyful, happy ways, but you also want to be prevention-minded in order to live a safe and healthy life. People will attain this balance in many different ways, and this difference may cause struggle at times.
I remember long ago when taking a day trip with a friend. She was a lot less worried than me about the cliffs we were climbing on. I was so afraid one of the children would fall into the waters below and she had no worries or fear related to that. I couldn't wait to get away from that rugged coastline, and unsurprisingly, I'm sure that women was happy to leave too since my stressless was creating angst for everyone. The woman is a safety-conscious women, but a far less fearful person than me. Her children were well cared for and never met with any undue danger, but we simply weren't a good match for each other given our different attitudes towards safety. I am a scaredy-cat and she is not.
I am comfortable taking calculated risks, but I'm not comfortable taking most risks. I've accepted my scaredy-cat nature and realize that it's not comfortable for all people especially people who are much more apt to take risks and not worry so much.
Good prevention reduces the chance for unnecessary trauma and pain. There's a balance to be had with regard to good prevention and living life in joyful, positive ways. This is a topic I'll think more about in the days to come.
