The most useful thing I learned from my parents is that if you neurotically teach your kids to be risk-averse, they will just end up taking those risks as less practiced, less resilient adults.
(If they're lucky.)
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I have worked with clients who grow up never taking risks, and never do it as adults. They then end up with no ability to cope or resiliency, and when a black swan like a layoff happens...
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Yeah, I've been increasing my level of risk taking since my teens. I started out modestly, and have accelerated slowly.
Enormously costly not to have done so even earlier.
I have a friend who is in his 50s and having similar neo-formative experiences, so I suppose I'm v. lucky.
It's even more pernicious when you consider that the general level of instability in our societies is rising so fast.
Like your example of layoffs: less and less black swans, more and more black elephants.
It's an awful time to be conditioned for timidity.

