In yesterday's post I talked about how freedom is the opposite of safety.

Today I wanted to make a comment about safety. Have you ever really thought about what is safety?

It's inevitable that we're all going to die. And even if you live a totally closeted comfortable existence, you can still have a heart attack or choke on a chicken sandwich or have loved ones leave you or have your finances stolen, all of this stuff can happen to anyone. There's really no such thing as safe on a long enough timeline.

So what does “safety” really mean?

Safety is an illusion. Safety is an idea that gives you a sense of comfort and nulls your emotions.

What safety really is is a narrative in your head that makes you feel very little… you “feel safe” when there’s only mild emotional sensations happening inside you. That's what we mean when we say we're comfortable and safe.

This can be totally disconnected from outside threats. We often feel safe when we’re drunk, despite actually being in a high risk situation. We feel safe inside of cars on the highway, even though this is an ongoing near-death experience.

We feel nothing and tell ourselves it means we’re “safe”.

You can be made redundant or have you business go bankrupt. Either way, there is no “safe” way to make a living. You can end up alone from avoiding rejection or have your wife die of illness, either way there is no “safe” way to socialize.

You can never actually be safe… but you can be free.

Excitement, disappointment, frustration, nervousness, discomfort: these are the feelings that come with freedom.

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