The risk of caring

"Nothing worthwhile was ever achieved without an element of risk" I heard someone say, or maybe I read it somewhere, nonetheless it rings true to me. Every time we drive somewhere in our car, hop on a train, plane or other form of transportation, there is always the risk of an accident. When we buy a late night pizza, grilled chicken, kebab, or any kind of food item, there is an element of risk of food poisoning. In short, basically living constitutes a risk.
Maybe we face less risks in this century than in previous, perhaps we know more about potential risks and preventions, we certainly are making headway with understanding many illnessess and their causes.
One risk though that has always been with mankind regardless of century, is the risk of caring.
Anytime we take the risk of becoming emotionally involved with another human being, there is always the risk of rejection, abandonment or loss. How many songs are written about it? How many books, how many poems fill page after page about the cost of caring? (I will write about the rewards of caring in another blog, this one is about the risks....)
Seems that regardless of the potential for rejection, abandonment or loss, we still take the risk.
Human beings are herd creatures so they say, we like to belong, be accepted and included, and in order to do so we must reveal parts of who we are. In every encounter with someone new to us we reveal a bit of ourselves and they do the same, both understanding that we have to be willing to risk being rejected in order to be able to be accepted. Often it works well and we continue the transaction of exchange and become "friends"or at least friends of sort, but what happens if we are rejected?
What if I offer myself to somebody and they reject me, or ignore me or make fun of me?
This is going to happen, this is a certainty, because this is part of the human condition. At some point there will be somebody who will reject you, you will lose somebody because people die, people make fun of each other, and there will be times when you will be ignored. Living is risky business.
But this is why living is living and not just existing. Existing, crudely put,  could be called a zombie life, you're dead you just don't know it.
 Remember that thing you did that you were terrified of doing but you did it anyway and how good you felt afterwards?

"Curage is not the absence of fear, rather doing that scary thing in spite of fear".

Caring for anything involves an element of risk but also an opportunity for courage, for friendship, for a partnership, for teamwork, for altruistic pursuits, for compassion, for new skills and hobbies, for healing broken relationships, and many many more possibilities.
Caring for others always offers growth and rewards.  Even if rejected, we have been given the opportunity to learn that we have courage, even if not accepted we have been given a chance to learn of others and our own limitations, and if ignored we have the prospect of finding ways of becoming more visiable.
Caring for someone, others or something, although including elements of risk also always include potentials. Potential for a loving relationship, a great friendship, a well functioning team, a fullfilling hobby/skill, overcoming fears, and many many more wonderful outcomes.
So "risk" upon a closer look perhaps could be viewed as an opportunity, you choose.......