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Annalisa Martin
Ms. Holt
English 1P;Period 3
4 March 2016
Risk Taking
Tenesse Williams once stated, Security is a kind of death. In my opinion, he
was trying to express that if you never go out of your comfort zone, you are not living
your life. If you are not using your life to achieve and experience great things, you are
wasting it completely. The purpose of life to me, is to never stop chasing the things that
are most important to you. In other words, never give up your dreams and aspirations,
regardless of the risks you may have to take. This way of thinking should be practiced
because there is no point in living if you are not experiencing all that life has to offer, but
it is also important to keep in mind that not all incredible experiences are risky, and a
certain degree of security draws the line between bravery and recklessness.
One reason you should take risks is you are not living if you are not using your
life to experience new and remarkable things. For example, in the article, The Worlds
Most Dangerous Sports, by Clare Davidson, the author states, By taking things to
extremes it puts the rest of life into perspective (Davidson 5). This quote expresses
that when you go out of your comfort zone and do incredible things, your entire view on
life changes. This shows readers that taking chances and doing new things will be
ultimately rewarding in every aspect of your life, by making your attitude towards life
more positive and making you happier and more grateful. To build on this, some people
may argue that putting yourself at extreme risks is not worth it because of the chance

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that everything could go completely wrong. I strongly disagree with this, because it is
better to take a chance that could lead you to fulfilling your true potential and
accomplishing great things, than to play it safe, and live a boring, average life. In all,
taking chances is important if you want to improve your life.
Furthermore, although it s important to do great things even if it means going out
of your comfort zone, it is also important to keep in mind that not all valuable
experiences are risky. For instance, In the article, Extreme Sports: Not About Risk
Taking, the text states, They also said they felt a sense of relaxation and freedom in
the sense that they were so focused and aware, it was like clearing the mind in
meditation (Medical News Today 13). This is an example of people participating in
activities that are safe and stable, that still impact them positively. This is important to
note because many valuable life experiences are within your comfort zone, and they
can impact you in the same way as the risky ones. Likewise, many people are naturally
born introverts, and they may be less adventurous than extroverted people. People like
this may see a higher worth in simple experiences, like spending time with close friends
and family, than exhilarating and dangerous experiences. This example shows that
plenty of people are impacted positively by simple, everyday activities, and they do not
need to go out and risk their life to see the deeper meaning of life. In conclusion, many
important and meaningful experiences do not require a great risk to occur.
Additionally, while taking risks can ultimately lead to positive outcomes, it can
also lead to negative outcomes, which is why it is vital to take some precautions in order
to minimize the chance of a negative outcome. For instance, in the article, Camp For
Kids With Autism Offers Extreme Therapy, the author states, Gilstrap says he wants

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the campers to struggle, but not too much (Donovan 12). This passage states that a
counselor who works at a camp where kids with autism are treated by participating in
extreme sports, wants the campers to feel the adrenaline rush that the activities provide,
but also wants them to be safe. This example should be noted because the counselor
recognizes that in order for the treatment to be successful and rewarding, the campers
should be in just enough danger to feel the adrenaline, not be in mortal peril. Moreover,
there is a fine line between bravery and deliberate recklessness. As an example, some
people go out of their way to do things that have a high chance of resulting in death.
This evidence illustrates that people often do things they are likely to die from, just
because they enjoy the rush that accompanies gambling with your life or health. It is
very important to not be one of these people, as it is more than likely that your life will
end prematurely if you constantly put yourself in harms way, and while it is important to
take risks that will ultimately lead you to your goals, putting yourself in danger just for
the fun of it is not a smart move. Based on the evidence, readers can understand the
value of a certain degree of safety when taking risks.
In my eyes, the driving motivational force behind humanity is our inability to ever
be satisfied with what we have and they way things are. It is this unsatisfiable hunger for
new and better things that keeps us constantly creating new things and ideas; from new
medicines and electronic devices, to new music genres and social views. It is human
nature to always go out of our way to improve anything and everything around us. This
need for improvement is what pulls us out of our comfort zone and pushes us to reach
our full potential. In conclusion, you should get out of your comfort zone because life is

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pointless if you do not experience lots of interesting things, but also keep in mind that
some safety is important, and not all valuable life experiences have to be dangerous.

Works Cited

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Davidson, Clare. "The World's Most Dangerous Sports." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 7
Aug. 2008. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.

Donvan, John. "Camp For Kids With Autism Offers Extreme Therapy." ABC News. ABC
News Network, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.

"Extreme Sports: Not About Risk-Taking: Study." Medical News Today. MediLexicon
International, 13 July 2009. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.