Ambition Without Risk?

By Dave Harvey

The illusion of safety on American soil was shattered by 9/11. Collapsing along with the twin towers was the assumption that our businesses, homes, families, and all our assets were safe from harm. Personal and national security became priorities for government and industry. Terrorism does that. It slaps the slumber out of our postmodern ambivalence by reminding us of an unpredictable future. And as a father of four, I was grateful for the wake-up call.
But safety gets carried away. For years I’ve watched neighbors drive their kids 200 feet to the end of our street to meet the bus. And we live in a cul de sac.

As I write this, the world has been rocked by a recession fueled by the overreaching ambitions of entire sectors of the economy. The response will be predictable: more hastily passed regulations aimed at limiting risk and protecting our supposedly secure and stable way of life.
In an increasingly fragile world, postmodernity develops an understandable aversion to risk. We make self-protection our passion and have exit strategies from anything that threatens what we need or want.

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