📘 Part 3: Taking risk

This episode's vocabulary

Adrenaline rush (noun) - a feeling of excitement, stimulation.

To beat the odds - to succeed despite having a disadvantage.

Outcome (noun) - a result or effect of an action, situation, etc.

Gradual (noun) - happening or changing slowly over a long period of time or distance.

Familiarization (noun) - the action or process of gaining knowledge or understanding of something.

Life-altering (adj.) - having an effect that is strong enough to change someone's life.

Grievous (adj.) - having very serious effects or causing great pain.

To wind up (phrasal verb) - to find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do.

Vicarious (adj.) - experienced as a result of watching, listening to, or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself.

Thrill (noun) - a feeling of extreme excitement, usually caused by something pleasant.

Risk-taking (noun) - the activity of taking risks in order to start a company, increase profits, etc.

Rush (noun) - a sudden strong emotion or physical feeling.

Per se (adverb) - by or of itself.

The former (adj.) - the first of two people, things, or groups previously mentioned.

Level-headed (adj.) - calm and able to deal easily with difficult situations.

Questions and Answers

M: Why do people like dangerous things?

R: Well, all kinds of reasons. They might enjoy the adrenaline rush they get from it and being able to show off to their friends that they beat the odds, for example.

M: How should parents teach their children what a risk is?

R: I mean, the easiest way would be just to show them a risky action and discuss the possible outcomes. There are some activities with limited risk that could be good teaching experiences too. I imagine they can also tell stories based on their own experiences as part of this gradual process of familiarization with the concept.

M: What risks should parents tell their children to avoid?

R: Probably the really potentially life-altering ones that could result in death or some grievous injury if they don't take proper care to minimize the chances of harm. I mean, no one wants to outlive their kids or wind up caring for them their whole lives. Do they?

M: Why do some people like to watch risk-taking movies?

R: Well, there's always this sort of vicarious thrill involved, isn't there? You can see someone putting their life at risk from a safe distance, but still get something out of it that way, provided it's well shot, of course.

M: And do you think that such movies are becoming more popular these days?

R: I have no idea. It would depend on how you define the category. I don't even know how you define the category of risk-taking movies.

M: Why do some people enjoy extreme sports?

R: Well, for the reasons I mentioned already. That rush is a powerful thing. It might not be addictive, per se, but it's definitely enjoyable after the initial fear goes.

M: Who is more interested in taking risks, the young or the old?

R: Oh, definitely, the former. Kids are so full of energy and need to prove themselves, they just can't help it. Whereas adults tend to be more full of level-headedness and have experience that doesn't require them to prove themselves to others.

M: Hey, thank you, Rory, for your nice answers!

R: They were not terribly risky.