Does knowing the risks ahead of time make something worthwhile?
For the longest time, I would have said the answer to yes was this.
After all, mental preparation can be critical. If you know ahead of time that something bad might happen, you’ll ideally be prepared for it. Or at least you won’t feel blindsided by it.
This means you’ll be better prepared to navigate your way out of the trouble you encounter.
You’ll spend less time wondering What happened? and more time determining What’s next? Which can make all the difference — particularly when facing potentially lethal danger.
Of course, there’s an unspoken expectation that goes with this reasoning. One that assumes those with knowledge of the risks will somehow be less affected by them.
That somehow, these well-informed risktakers will take the lion’s share of the associated jolt at the point when they read the list of side effects. Not when trouble is at their tail.
This is why the term They knew the risks is so commonly used by those pundits who analyze the aftermath of disaster.
The translation? At least they were prepared.
This, of course, is ridiculous.
Nothing will soften the blow when something goes wrong. No prior knowledge can truly prepare you for the in-the-moment sensation of the train going off the tracks.
I know this firsthand. Not too long ago, I enrolled in a medical program that carried both great risk and reward.
By sticking to the program, I could eradicate my seasonal allergies. But the potential side effects of this program were grave, even lethal.
I was well aware of these side effects going into the program. I had to go through extensive training on warning signs and protocols. I was even given an EpiPen for emergency use.
But yet, I moved forward.
For several months, I saw no ill effects from the program. If anything, I could sense my health improving.
Cat dander no longer set my eyes watering. And the start of spring no longer gave me the sniffles.
But one day, my chickens came home to roost. The side effects I had learned about became all too real.
I knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. Being forewarned of the risks gave me that advantage.
Yet, while I was able to act quickly to stem the tide of trouble, doing so gave me no peace of mind. It didn’t remove the sickening feeling of my body spiraling out of control, or the sheer terror of being on the brink.
The symptoms I felt were just as raw and vivid as those of food poisoning or other surprise ailments. Knowing the risks ahead of time didn’t comfort me one iota in the moment.
There’s no telling if I’ll start the program again. The decision is out of my hands.
But even if it weren’t, it would be far from a slam dunk decision for me to continue. My urge to climb back on the horse is tempered by the sensation of once bitten, twice shy. A life-threatening ailment will have that effect on you.
Either way, I now think far differently about the significance of being forewarned.
I now think the conventional wisdom is wrong.
You see, all too often, we lionize those who feel the fear and do it anyway. We downplay the danger while promoting bravery.
It’s as if being brave makes us Superman. As if seeing the brick wall around the corner will keep us from breaking our bones when we slam into it at full speed.
This narrative is simply not true.
The risks we expose ourselves to are real. The pain is real. The ensuing emotions are real.
Forewarned or not, we’re bound to experience them all when trouble rears its head.
Perhaps ignorance is bliss. Perhaps being forewarned is actually a disadvantage.
I guess it all depends on our perspective.
But either way, it’s important to note that bracing for impact will only get us so far in the event of disaster.
Proceed accordingly.