Writing Prompt Tuesday prompt 4

Prompt: It was Erica Jong who said " If you don't risk anything, you risk more." Write about what this means to you.

Ironic. In class today we discussed the meaning of Medusa's stare. Of course any mythological fan knows that her stare turns you to stone, an instant death. She is also feared among many Greek heroes (Perseus in particular). First we came up with the phrase "Petrified with fear". And idleness or not taking action is death. So we concluded this thought with the perspective that not acting is pretty much the opposite of being alive. The Jong quote above says something like this. By not acting or risking anything, you lose the process of trial and error or trial and success. This is how humans learn, through experience. Without this experience, we could not define who we are or how to live. So, in other words if you never take a risk, you risk your own personal growth. Of course I am no expert in learning from experience. In fact, I missed an opportunity to move forward today by not acting the way I wished to. Instead of deciding to say something, I held back and in turn regretted that decision. I've also come up with my own mantra. "You usually only regret things you don't do." So, this is my new phrase and I've missed a lot of life due to the fact I didn't realize this sooner. Life is about taking risks. If you don't take those risks, you are stuck in your own prison and have no one to blame but yourself. By stepping out of this prison, you risk the unknown, but is it always great to stick with a pattern of what you know? I would say not. A comfort zone is actually an illusion when you aren't satisfied with your own life pattern. Routines can be poison if you are stuck in a rut or used to thinking negatively. This is why Jong's quote makes a lot of sense. I'm willing to say that if you don't risk anything, you've risked everything. You lose a life lesson and you don't gain any knowledge about yourself or the world until you decide to break from your pattern. But the only way to break from this pattern is to realize you are not happy or satisfied with your routine. Only you can motivate yourself to escape your tower and experience life.