Jason,
Let me say again that I sincerely appreciate your response, but my attitude is NOT "it is just a matter of time before I catch some incurable STD." And I am not treating this potential threat as nothing more concerning than a common cold. If I were, then my attitude would be, "So what?" A cold is simply a bother, an interruption of normal life, not a potentially life-altering event. No one says, "I will cross that bridge when I come to it" over something as minor as the common cold. Precisely because a cold is not a big deal. An STD is. I know that. My attitude towards these matters is emphatically not one of basic indifference or nonchalance. I am not saying, "So what?" I am saying, "If I have to deal with that misfortune, I will. And I will reassess my life if that happens. But I don't want it to occur at all."
I see my attitude as stoic acceptance of an undesirable but still possible outcome. In short, I am saying that I know I could get hurt. And while I do not welcome that possibility in the slightest, I am also not blind to it either. When a baseball player goes out on the field, it is possible (however unlikely) that he could break his arm today. Likewize, when a driver gets in his car, it is possible (however unlikely) that he could lose his life today. Are the baseball player or the driver inviting disaster or saying they don't care about their own well-being? No. Not at all. Well, neither am I when I go hunting. I am cautious. I know what signs to look for. But yes, it could happen that I miss something or that I contract something in spite of my best efforts. I recognize that as a possibility, and I accept it mindfully and stoically.
Am I trying to persuade anyone that they should adopt a similar mindset? No, it just happens to be mine. Some people drive defensively. I like to hunt somewhat defensively, but obviously I still like to enjoy my time on the road too. |