Everyone wants to live in plush homes.
Everyone wants to take calls from the penthouse and be driven by chauffeurs in multi-million-dollar cars.
But no one wants to do the work that gets them there, taking risks.
In the olden days, taking risks was a rare skill, and anyone who could do that was valuable to the ruler and the community.
Such a person was seen as having extraordinary gifts because he dared to do what others wouldn't.
Before going to war, the invaders would send spies (which was a risky job, too risky that if caught, they'd die) to the country they wanted to invade and exploit. Those spies weren't sure of anything before getting to that city, but they went anyway.
They'd stay there for days, sometimes for years, relating with the citizens of the country, getting immersed in their culture, and understanding
The people's daily routine provided a clear roadmap for the incoming army that would take control very soon.
This was also dominant in the era of early civilization. People got into ventures they were never sure of, the gold rush, the craving for vast piles of diamonds, and the inevitable quest for oil control; all these showed man's knack for taking risks.
The early cavemen (if they ever existed) never knew what would happen until they discovered that fire could be produced by smashing rocks against each other.
Orville and Wilbur (even though they weren't the only ones in the race to build an airplane) never knew what could fly until they tested it, taking a huge risk with impending failure staring them.
The civilized world you and I live in today, and we enjoy its benefits, was solely built on risk-taking.
Men who had the nerve to go into business, wars, and negotiations and produce machines, software, vaccines, and peace treaties that have saved lives, time, and cost.
Talk about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Golda Meir, and counting.
The next generation of civilization will only be possible if we have more risk-takers who will gamble to make the world better.
For those, the old will always be in their favor.
Risk-taking has been the captain of civilization, and will always be.
