“Only the really young are fearless, have the optimism, the romanticism to take unimaginable risks.”—Olivia Wilde
I recently came across the above quote by actress Olivia Wilde. I suppose, unfortunately, that there is some truth to the statement. It is a sad thought, though. Why must fearlessness and optimism lost on the young.
With age, we are supposed to gain wisdom. It seems, however, that with wisdom comes caution—as if this is a good thing.
Wisdom is good. We should make smarter decisions. We should not be reckless. Our choices should be guided by experience. But….
Caution, too, is good, but it should not prevent us from taking calculated risks. Caution should not become a weight upon us.
Why should the young get to be fearless and optimistic? We more seasoned adults have the wisdom to guide optimism and be fearless out of knowledge not ignorance. William Arthur Ward wrote that the pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” With age and experience, we learn that the wind will both take us to where we need to go and can take us to where we want to go. To adjust the sails requires only that we understand how the wind moves the sails and how to manipulate the sails to take advantage of the wind.
Let the mature be fearless and optimistic. Let the wise take risks calculated on experience. Caution should not should not become an anchor. Rather it should be the call to adjust the boom. Let us capture the winds and take sail even as we leave youth behind.
Carpe momento!