The illusion of safety
I was watching an old Tested video where Adam was talking about “The Myth More Dangerous Than It Seemed”. A big lesson I took away was how Adam looks at safety in his work:
“You're never going to be able to make something safe. You can increase the margin of safety. And as long as you're holding to that, and you don't suffer the illusion that you have made something safe, then you stay in that mental state that allows you to deal with contingencies cause they're going to happen.”
I really like this take. The “margins of safety” call attention to the fact that things are never 100% safe. There is always that possibility of catastrophic failure in whatever situation you are in.
I think there are two perspectives worth exploring. First is the one Adam talks about. In a situation that is acutely dealing with dangerous forces (building explosives, driving, flying, etc.) understanding that safety is an illusion does allow you to deal with potential contingencies.
But I noticed something else, too.
As someone who struggles with anxiety, I actually don’t find this as triggering as I thought I would. I expected hearing this to essentially cement the idea that “what can go wrong will go wrong” in my head. That I am always living in danger. But if anything, it has brought me some comfort.
Accepting that things will never be safe actually lets me feel more secure in the existing safety measures I live with. I wear my seatbelt, I brush my teeth, I (fortunately) see the doctor regularly, etc. Much of my anxiety, specifically health anxiety, was focused around the suffering that could come despite these measures. But really, I am increasing the margins of safety for myself in the ways I can, and I hope this makes dealing with the inevitable suffering more bearable.
Day 10! I am 1/10th of the way through the #100DaysToOffload challenge. Thank you to anyone who has stuck around and read my blog. I am looking to write about some more cozy content in the future, as I have been focusing a bit more on mental health topics recently.