The Revised Case for Being Reckless

The other day, when I was particularly hard at work procrastinating about studying, I came across a book called ‘Whatever you think, think the opposite’ written by Paul Arden. Open as I was to any form of distraction, I naturally decided to read it. I tend to be wary of books that are all about telling you how to be different, because, frankly, they all tend to say the same thing. (One has to appreciate the deep irony there). I was happily surprised: a lot of the things Paul Arden had to say definitely had an impact on me. It was unexpectedly motivating.

In fact, I was so motivated that I decided to write an article in response to one of his assertions:

“THE CASE FOR BEING RECKLESS

When we are young, we jump into the pool whether we can swim or not.

We have no fear.

Either we swim or we drown.

Before the age of thirty, important things happen to us which shape the rest of our lives.

The first thing is:

We become aware of ourselves and our own thinking. We reach the age of reason.

The second is:

In our new found maturity we begin to think in a more adult way. We become grown up.

Recklessness and risk are not compatible with age.

Risk becomes something which must be seriously considered.”
- from “Whatever you think, think the opposite” – By Paul Arden

The message is fairly straightforward. But is it actually telling us something new? To me, it sounds like a variation of the same old ‘do it while you’re still young’ argument.

So, Mr Arden, I’m thinking the opposite:

When you are young, take risks. Live spontaneously.

When you are older and wiser, take risks. Live spontaneously.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t know how plausibly I can argue what I’m going to argue, given that I have just happened upon the ripe young age of twenty one. But, for the sake of healthy debate, I’m going to try.

It is too often stressed that there is a definitive shift that occurs as you age, supposedly mature, and have this fairly abstract notion of ‘reason’ bestowed upon you by some unseen, and hopefully benevolent, hand.

For what it’s worth, I sincerely hope that I am not going to wake up on my thirtieth birthday and think to myself that my time for taking risks and living spontaneously is over. (Who ordained thirty the deadly age anyway? No wonder people experience such crises around that age). That being said, if that is the only argument to force people to start living with their minds in the present – and their eyes on the future – then heck, it’s a good one I guess.

But maybe the purpose of the motivation gets a bit lost in its delivery. The idea shouldn’t be to scare the living daylights out of someone by warning them that their hour of pushing up daisies is fast approaching, which is why they should rush out and live their lives on the metaphorical edge before they inevitably become decrepit, drooling fossils.

…Although, you have to admit, it is a somewhat compelling argument. However, the fact is, taking a risk because you want to is better that doing it out of fear of possibly wising up to its recklessness in a few years time. ‘If you don’t do it now, you can’t do it later’ surely won’t reap the same fulfilment as ‘do it now because you really want to and you truly believe it is possible!’

And as for wising up with age, there are always those things deceptively termed ‘calculated risks’. True, they may not be of the same breed as the ‘reckless and spontaneous’ variety, but at least you’re not being safe and boring. I’m not necessarily making ‘safe’ and boring’ synonymous with one another – but when it comes to decision-making, they collide way too often for it to be coincidental.

So, I say live recklessly; take risks and be spontaneous! But do it because it is an exciting and challenging way to live, and not because someone has instilled the fear of the Grim Reaper in you by claiming that one day, when you’ve reached a certain age, your capacity for risk-taking will be irreparably altered.

That choice is up to you, regardless of your age. I just have to look to my grandmother, who last year went skydiving at the age of 69, for proof of this.