A ship is safe in harbor…

Here is an interesting poem which caught my attention recently. The author is not known. I found it thought provoking for its depth and Ship is a metaphor which can be applied to many spheres of life. So pleased to write about it in today’s post:

All I live for is now,
All I stand for is where and how,
All I wish for are magic moments…

As I sail through change,
My resolve remains the same–
What I choose are magic moments,

Ships are safe in the harbor
But that is not what ships are made for;
The mind could stretch much further
But it seems that is not what our minds are trained for… 

Sail on…

The poem is self explanatory. The author presents his ideas in simple words with considerable depth. He says he lives in the present and expecting some magic moments in his life. He speaks about managing change in life, taking calculated risks and moving forward.
The most striking lines of the poem are:

“Ships are safe in the harbor
But that is not what ships are made for”

Think for a while... the positioning of ship offers an interesting perspective..

A ship may be safe in a harbor, but if you wanted something safe, you would have built a structure, not a ship. A ship, by nature of being lighter than water, is vulnerable to wind, waves, the rocks and reefs and of course action of pirates. But unlike structures, it can move wherever the captain chooses to go.

A ship is built to travel on seas, to cruise through the waters, navigate the waves, and brave the weather and to go to distant lands. Whether to trade goods, discover new places or connect the nations together, ship exists to go places. In harbor it is almost useless. Outside harbor, it is at risk.

Balance between safety and risk

Safety is nice, but when you are completely safe, you really can’t do much. To do things, you have to leave some of your safety behind and take risks. While prudence has a prominent role in balancing safety and risk, what you have in the absence of risk is hardly much of a life. 

Risk is what ships are designed and built for. They balance the risks of the seas and waves by designing how high the sides of the ships are. Compare seagoing craft to those on small lakes or rivers. Look at the naval vessels which participate in wars. Their design and build is in tune with their objectives and a balance of safety and risk.

Where can we apply in our lives? 

Some people are wary of taking risks in life. They crave for stability and security. Stability in life style, in finances, in their house and job. Stability means consistency. Consistency means safety. Who doesn’t want to be safe? Unfortunately life just doesn’t work that way all the time. Life isn’t always calm, stable or safe. While you may have safe harbors such as your parent’s house, your bedroom, enjoyable company of childhood friends and relatives, you still have to get out those comforting situations and and weather the storm to do something meaningful in life. 

There is another set of people who love to take risk. For them, racing on motorcycles, sports cars, trucks or bicycles is a thrill, they cannot give up. The balance of safety and risk says they should use proper safety gear, and only do their racing on a closed course away from bystanders and normal traffic.  Racing without any safety gear in public places like ORR(Outer Ring Road) of Hyderabad does not make them heroes, rather results in fatalities, making them zeroes.

Those who do not follow the path of prudence, and fail to balance safety with the risk can end up hurting themselves or worse, hurt others. That is not the path of prudence or intelligence.

Move ahead and Sail on..

While taking blind risks is unwise, it is foolish to not to take any risks in life. There is risk every activity we take up. There is a risk of choking if you take food. Does it mean we don’t take food at all? 

It is always advisable to take on newer and bigger challenges in life. However, while doing it, consider what information you could gather to help you better understand the risks, and therefore mitigate them. 

Life is full of exciting opportunities. It is all about how you understand risk-reward equation and what appetite you have for taking the risks involved. At the end, let me reiterate, ships are not meant to be in harbors, they should be sailing on high seas, crossing frontiers. 

Do you agree? What do you say?