“Properly experienced, life is a very risky behavior.”

Those are the words of Chris Guillebeau, a young man, wise beyond his years. Well, perhaps, it’s not so much that he’s wise beyond his years as much as it is that he, at about 31 years of age, has realized and chosen to forego all the societal conditioning about good jobs, security, conforming to what everyone else is doing and he’s living his life FREE.

Chris’s blog is called “The Art of Non-Conformity” and that is the life that he lives. I won’t tell you Chris’s entire life story because I’m going to give you a link to his blog in this posting (but, you’ll also note that I have listed it in my Valuable Links side bar). Chris is a great example of living and working free. His most immediate goal is to visit every country in the world by the time he reaches 35. At last count, he’s already visited over 120 countries. He has a business schedule this year with, obviously, lots of trips and travel planned. Oh, and I should also note that Chris is married. So, he also has found the person who understands him and his drives and is supportive of his dreams and goals. Of course, she is open to adventure and taking risks in life, too.

So, what does Chris mean by his statement, “Properly experienced, life is a very risky behavior?” Well, you can read his blog posting if you want it first hand, but essentially he began talking about the three Mr. Hood (OR) climbers who risked their lives and lost them this past week or so. He spoke about Christopher Reeves (Superman, to most of us). He talked about how people tend to always take the safe route in life. They may have dreams, goals, ambitions and, maybe even some dragons to slay, but they never realize the dreams, achieve the goals, meet their ambitions nor face those dragons. All of these typically require some pretty risky behavior. He wasn’t suggesting that everyone should be climbing sheer, vertical rock walls, jumping out of airplanes to see how long they can freefall before opening their parachute, driving race cars at 200 mph, being dropped off by a helicopter on the peak of some high mountain for some extreme skiing or scuba diving in shark infested waters. But, then again, if any or all of those things are your dreams – then what’s holding you back?

I left a comment on Chris’s blog page because he was talking directly to me (and apparently over 130 other readers who have left comments, so far). As I’ve been reading through the comments I’ve been totally amazed by the exciting people who are following Chris’s adventures. As I approach the ripe young age of 65, being in the 3rd half of my life, I guess, I thought I was probably a little unusual, an “old fogy” following this “youngster.” But, I discovered that I was wrong in my assumption. One person said they were in the 3rd third of their life and reaching for and living their dreams and another said he was 70 and doing the same thing. There were women who are traveling the world alone. One such woman said she was born and raised in Chicago and had been the victim of several acts of crime in her home town and while she’s traveled the world and is now living in Mexico as part of her dreams, she’s not experienced the acts of crime that she did in her hometown in the good ole US of A.

Many people pointed out that you could be killed in an auto accident right outside your home or have a heart attack sitting in your little cubicle at work or be the victim of a violent crime in your hometown. In fact, statistically, everyone is more likely to have that kind of experience before they would by doing something most people would consider fool hardy, dangerous and risky behavior. But, think about it, most of the people who follow these, so-called, foolhardy, dangerous and risky behaviors – carefully plan every facet of what they plan to do and experience. They learn how to skydive from a seasoned instructor, they learn to rock climb or mountain climb from experts, the same with scuba diving or extreme skiing or any other kind of, so-called, risky activity.

Here’s the thing. Yes, sometimes, bad things happen when someone risks climbing Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainier or Mt. McKinley or Mt. Everest or dive on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia or drive racing cars, motorcycles, bicycles, sail small vessels around the world or trek through small, underdeveloped countries where many people still live very primitively. You can name many other risky behaviors. But, those who do these things prepare themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and equip themselves properly with what they need to live out their dream and achieve their goals. Are there some foolhardy people who rush into things without thinking, learning, training, equipping and conditioning themselves for the adventure? Of course, there are. But, most go through the necessary learning and preparation.

I would dare say, there are far less people, as a percentage, who die or are seriously living hurt living their dreams and adventures then the number who die or are hurt in airplane crashes, train crashes, automobile accidents, falling off ladders at their own home or have work related accidents doing something they don’t love doing. How many people do you know (and probably a lot you don’t know) who are walking time bombs – and I’m not referring to radical terrorist, suicide bombers – I’m talking about people who have extremely high blood pressure and either don’t know it or don’t do anything about it. Or how about people who suspect they are having some kind of medical problem, but don’t go to the doctor and find out because they fear what they don’t know. The attitude is, “what I don’t know, can’t hurt me.” WRONG! That attitude killed my mother when she had just turned 63. How risky is it to try to schedule too many things and now have enough time to accomplish them, so you do dumb things, like drive too fast and recklessly and – you make one miscalculation and your next stop is the morgue.

But, here’s the real point – “Properly Experienced,” as Chris points out, “life is a very risky behavior.” So, why are more people killed or maimed taking the “supposed” safe route, giving up on their dreams, putting all their security in a job, community, home, whatever, where there is a greater possibility that they may die – ANYWAY! None of us will get out of this life alive – and you certainly won’t escape death by “playing it safe,” since that’s were the highest number of people will die, by a huge magnitude in comparison to those who live their dreams. The commenters on Chris’s blog seem to repeat the same thing numerous times – they’d rather die doing something they wanted to do, living their dreams, then die as a spectator in the grandstand of life.

THAT is what “Living and Working Free” is all about. Of course, everyone has different dreams. I wouldn’t suggest that taking risks in your life means that your dreams have to be about any of the activities I’ve mentioned in this article. In fact, maybe your dream is to “take this job and shove it!” What will it take to do that? Do you have dream of simplifying and/or downsizing your life, giving up the country club membership, moving into a small, easy to maintain house and spend your time generating whatever income you need doing something you love to do? Are you like me – with a desire and dream to see all of this country and as much of this continent as I can (with short trips to other parts of the world) as a wandering nomad in an RV? Maybe you want to trek the world, like my son, and see the sights and get to know and live with the people of the world, but not as the typical tourist. Maybe you want to write books, paint paintings, compose and perform music, create useful inventions. Maybe searching for lost treasure or antiques or archeological finds are your dreams and passions. So, what is stopping you?

Oh yeah, you have a family, you have to keep the job because the economy is in bad shape and you might not be able to get another one. You have to keep a roof over their heads. You have to keep them clothed and educated in schools. Well, here are some irrefutable facts – you only live this life once, you will die and it could be later today or tomorrow – no one knows that – and the people who act and live their dreams are the people who make things happen in this world.
I just learned that another friend of mine died on Christmas Day at the ripe young age of 61. She has been on the invitation list of an event I have coordinated for the past 8 years (actually, long before I took over the coordination). She kept saying she really wanted to come and hang out with all her friends – she’ll get there one day. Well, “one day” will never come for her anymore.

This past Friday evening while a friend and I were enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, I met a young family – father, mother, three younger children – who arrived at the restaurant in a pick-up truck that was pulling a 40’ 5th wheel trailer (RV). They were seated next to us and I couldn’t help introducing myself and asking about their lifestyle. They are full-time RVers, the children are home schooled on the road as they travel the country. The father is a traveling evangelist and a master plumber, so he has, at least, a couple ways to generate income as they travel. His wife schools the kids and makes a home for them wherever they are. They are living their dream and adventure. The family is together, they feel secure and they are living and learning so much about people, places, life and living free.

Let me close this posting by quoting one of the commenters on Chris’s blog. “Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom.” Bymes – Thanks for reminding us all to go for the freedom!” That came from the writers of a blog called SoulTravelers3, a couple in their early 50’s from Santa Cruz, CA. They are traveling around the world on an open ended adventure with their 5 year old daughter. They are home schooling her as they travel and while she learns about the world in way very few children in this country will ever learn about it.

Check out Chris’s blog posting at http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/beware-of-life/#comments

Enthusiastically,
Ed