“Forget safety. Live where you fear to live.
Destroy your reputation. Be notorious.

I have tried prudent planning long enough. From now on, I’ll be mad.”

-Rumi

I have always had this ambitious goal of living to 110, like my namesake Joseph in the book of Genesis. Whether realistic or not, when I reached 55, I could no longer deny that I had hit middle age. Now less of my life stretched before me than behind me by any measure.

I began to reflect on how to live the second half of my life. I noticed that many people become  more risk averse as they get older; they are more careful not to sustain a financial loss, or fall lest they break a hip,  or take on new adventures. I decided to take more risks.

What do I have to lose? In the final  analysis, I’m dust anyway. As I grow older I have less to lose- on the last day of my life I could say and do whatever I want, no matter how outrageous.

I’m talking about righteous behavior, mind you. Speaking out against injustice, trying new things, living bold. Why not? What if elders engendered a little bit of awe and hushed respect because they are “beyond the f— it?”, and unpredictable? Gray Panthers Rise Up!

As Rumi alludes, at some point we grow beyond caring about small notions of safety, our reputations, our notoriety. Prudent planning is fine, but it only gets us so far. Sometimes, the craziness of living calls for little holy craziness on our part.

Where in your life do you need to take more risks?

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Jalal ad-Din Muhammed Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufimystic. Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions; people of all faiths and nations have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet” and the “best selling poet” in the United States.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.