Wisdom, Risk, and Progress: The Foundations of Human Achievement
Knowledge and wisdom are gained either directly through personal experiences or secondhand through the knowledge and experiences of others. By pooling our combined expertise, we can all benefit. No normal human being has all the answers to the countless questions that need to be addressed for human progress.
All good, wholesome human knowledge and wisdom, however, are ultimately inspired by, provided by, and guided by an Infinite Spirit that far surpasses our own human limitations. From the dawn of Time up until the present, humanity has consistently believed in beings far superior to ourselves who are guiding our actions – for good or for evil.
Anything good that humanity has ever been able to achieve has been inspired by an Infinite Spirit, whom many people on earth worship and call God. Although we use a variety of other names--Allah, G-d, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Jehovah, Emanuel, or YHWH, the three largest religions in the world—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—all believe that this one God created the Universe and everything good that's in it. In the same way, all the other major religions on earth, like Hinduism and Buddhism, also believe in beings who cause good and evil.
Christians believe that evil was introduced by an angel whose Pride caused him to aspire to equal or surpass God. We believe when this angel led a rebellion of some of the angels against God, Satan and his followers were driven from heaven. These angels, the devils, now reside in a place we call Hell.
When our first parents, Adam and Eve, were tempted by Satan and ate of the forbidden fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they disobeyed God and committed the Original Sin. As a result, they were driven from the Garden of Paradise. and evils and suffering of all kinds were introduced into their lives.
As their descendants, we have inherited the results of that Original Sin. Our lives have been challenged ever since by the resulting evils and risks, both natural and manmade.
But God, who surpasses all evil, wondrously works directly--and through humanity--to overcome evil. That's what risk management is all about.
- Just like a grain of sand inside an oyster can cause it to form a beautiful pearl of great value to protect itself, overcoming challenges and evils in our lives can make us better people, leading us to achieve far more than we ever dreamed we could—either by ourselves or united together.
Risk management does not mean that a person is risk adverse. In fact, humanity has grown and improved by taking on risks and overcoming them. All of us admire and respect men and women who defied the odds and achieved what seemed to be impossible. We all thrill when we witness spectacular skill displayed by a musician, artist or craftsman--or in one of our favorite sports like football, basketball, soccer, baseball, golf or tennis.
- Many of us can remember exactly where we were when the first man landed on the moon. We like to recount over and over again the heroism of men and women who saved others through great sacrifices--like the firemen and police men of New York City did on September 11, 2001.
- We are also so deeply moved by genuine humility and extraordinary acts of mercy and compassion, with deep caring for others, that we admire these men, women, and children as Saints. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is an excellent example.
Human progress has only been achieved because individuals pursued their curiosity and dreams, took risks, and tested the limits of the knowledge that prevailed at their time in history. The advance of civilization has been made possible by one generation standing on the shoulders of the men and women who preceded them.
The key to a successful life is not to stay at home and try to avoid all risks, but to make wise decisions after weighing the risks and benefits, and then to speak and act while being inspired and led by God. Although no one man or woman - or group of people - can identify and prevent all risks, we can certainly work together to reduce and manage them to have high quality lives.
