Entry 77: Why Take Risks?

Jon Krakauer said that mountain climbers have little common sense, and before they've actually experienced the climbing, they never realize how dangerous it is. He also said that climbers would forget about prudence when they could reach the summit. I think it's the same with other kinds of risks that people take. For example, before people take drugs, it's very likely that they have heard of the side effects, but people do it anyway. Just like what Krakauer said, people don't realize how dangerous the risks are before they take it. When they know the good things they would get when they do it, they lose cautiousness. This is also true about non-physical risks, such as investment. Before people put their money into a business, there is always the hope that they would get more money later. As a result some people might become less careful of their money. Also they never know how terrible it is to lose a lot of money until it happens. I think everyone has pretty much the same reason for taking risks; we want something that we would have to sacrifice a little in order to get it, and hoping that in return we get more than we sacrifice.