The guy asked what we could do to make people feel safe.
I thought it was the wrong question, but I listened to see where the conversation would lead. Eventually the discussion produced this astonishing statement:
“The secret to doing important work is feeling safe.”
Do you agree?
As a teacher I concluded that productive learning required a minimal level of order and trust. Kids needed to know they’d be treated with dignity and respect and that they could operate in an environment relatively free from chaos.
I figured I owed them that basic level of security.
But I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, remove the risk, because learning isn’t safe. In fact, my job was to encourage kids to take risks, try out new ideas, make mistakes, analyze their errors, and figure out what to do next.
That’s scary stuff. Important work always is.
In school we did dumb stuff designed mostly to make adults feel better, stuff like making kids stand in straight lines and put their names in the upper right corner of the paper. I think those were as essential as “no 4-oz tubes of toothpaste on the plane.” Mostly they’re about creating a false sense of control that makes everyone feel better.
Society’s like school. We need a minimal level of order, so we need laws and police to enforce them. But taking our shoes off before boarding the plane and putting a camera on every corner just gets in the way.
# # #
People ask me a lot whether I feel safe cycling alone on unfamiliar roads. Honestly, I don’t always feel safe, but that’s not the point.
If I want to feel safe I could stay in Fort Collins and ride the dedicated trails with no traffic, or I could just leave my bike in the garage on the trainer. But those aren’t the places my dream leads me.
Dreams aren’t safe. Service and sacrifice are risky. Flying’s inherently dangerous, but planes aren’t intended to sit on the ground. You have to untie the boat and leave the safety of the harbor if you want to do important work.
We pay a steep price to feel safe, to avoid facing fear, to feel the illusion of control. The price is measured in work that doesn’t get done, people who don’t get helped, love that doesn’t get expressed, and dreams that don’t get followed.
What we get isn’t worth the price we pay.
# # #
In a few weeks, about twenty of us will take off on a grand adventure called FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR ’14.
There are still a few spaces on the week-long team, and if you click the link you’ll find other ways to get involved. But none of them are easy, safe, or risk-free.
Some of the riders who’ve committed to this tour are afraid of the miles orm fundraising or spending a week with a group of strangers. They decided the price of avoiding their fear was just too steep.
If you’re in the Ft Collins area, Becky and I will be at Timberline church this weekend to talk to folks about the ride. Stop by and chat about how you can be part of this fun journey.
It’s gonna be a blast!
Please leave a comment here.
