Taking Risks — By John Reed

Taking Risks
Regular readers will know I’ve harped on how children today are cocooned and never given the opportunity to fail. This is true in many homes just as it is in school. In their efforts to protect their kids from physical and emotional damage, teachers and parents are often doing the next generation a disservice.
If you’re never hurt, how do you learn to avoid dangerous things? If every classroom lesson guarantees success, how do you complete new tasks? How many kids never try out for competitive activities for fear of not being picked?
We certainly see the same trends in the political arena: it’s far safer to stick to the same hackneyed polemics that got you elected than to actually lead the way to new useful legislation. Five minutes with either side in Washington, and it’s obvious they’d rather pander to their supporters than actually govern.
Our mayor takes hits regularly for going his own way, and providing unnecessary theater at city commission meetings. But at least he’s a risk-taker. True, he might miss the mark most of the time, but every now and then something sticks….like the new splash pad.
Other risk-takers are showing up here. Despite 100+ empty houses for sale, new houses are being built out by the schools. Even as our traditional downtown area empties out, there are folks who dare to renovate and relocate.
Maybe the pendulum is swinging back towards working without a net. Our community needs people willing to work against the odds. I wonder: are there others willing to join them?