Lewis and Clark
Essay Assignment: "Standing Outside the Fire"
“Those who dare to fail miserably can
achieve greatly”
~ John Fitzgerald
Kennedy, 35th
Directions:
Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs,
and a conclusion. Use evidence from the document(s) and media in the body of
the essay. When writing a DBQ, it is best to devote one paragraph for each
document and be sure to identify the document at the beginning of each
paragraph. Support your response with relevant facts, examples, and details.
Include additional outside information and related concept words
(interdependence, change, choice).
Task:
In
the song, Standing Outside the Fire, Garth Brooks sings, “Life is
not tried, it is merely survived If you’re standing outside the fire…” Read the
excerpt below from the article "Why did you do that? "It could
be the brain. In your essay, identify and discuss the different types
of risk-taking and the role parents’ play in helping to teach children about
risk-taking. You must explain the meaning of the song and the quote above by
President Kennedy and be sure to explain how each document relates to healthy
risk-taking. Also discuss the video we watched, Lewis and Clark; The
Journey of the Corps of Discovery and explain how Lewis and Clark
used several of Dale Carnegie’s human relations principles to be successful
risk-takers. Include and discuss specific examples from each document and
media. In your conclusion explain the importance of healthy risk-taking and
tell why it would be a great Dale Carnegie Principle.
… Researchers confirm that the
11-year-old brain is not fully developed and not yet ready to process the
consequences of risk-taking the way an adult brain does. While healthy risk-taking is a valuable
experience, the challenge, according to Lynn E. Ponton M.D., is helping young
people decide what is a healthy risk vs. an unhealthy risk.
A big part of
adolescence is learning how to assess the risk in an activity," says Dr.
Ponton, author of The Romance of Risk: Why Teenagers Do the Things They Do.
Parents can help children learn how to look at the positives and negatives of
risk-taking. They can work with pre-adolescents to put energy into healthier
activities when necessary.
Healthy risk-taking
behaviors tend to have a positive impact on a young life. Examples are: sports,
volunteering, art classes, acting in school plays, traveling, running for
school office, making new friends and especially contributing to the family or
community
Negative risk-taking
behaviors include drinking alcohol, smoking, drug use, reckless driving, sexual
activity, running away, stealing, and gang activity The vast majority of
alcoholics and smokers get started during their teen years and a quarter of all
people with HIV contract it before age 21.
sidebar: In addition
to talking to children about risk taking, parents are role models. Teenagers
watch and imitate the behavior of their parents. Perhaps you would not want
your pre-adolescent to drive the way you do. According to Dr. Ponton, parents
often don't talk about their own histories of risk-taking and experimenting. However,
if you feel you can share your own mistakes while in adolescence, you can let
your kids know that some mistakes are not fatal. You can encourage your
pre-adolescent to make healthier choices than you may have made!
Source: The Romance of
Risk: Why Teenagers Do the Things They Do, Lynn E. Ponton, M.D. (Basic Books,
1998, S12.80)
Standing Outside The Fire
Written by: - Jenny Yates - Garth Brooks
We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk the tables being turned
We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always comes with getting burned
But you've got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall
We call them weak
Who are unable to resist
The slightest chance love might exist
And for that forsake it all
They're so hell-bent on giving ,walking a wire
Convinced it's not living if you stand outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Standing outside the fire
Life is not tried, it is merely survived
If you're standing outside the fire
~ 7th
graders Lewis and Clark / “Standing Outside the Fire” Essays ~
You
should live life to its fullest because you only live it once. That
includes taking healthy risks, and challenging yourself to things that you may
not think you are capable of. Don’t plan your life out, just live it day
by day not knowing what is going to happen. That is when most of your most
memorable memories are made. People can learn about risk-taking from
movies, songs, quotes, and even poems.
In
the song, Standing Outside the Fire,
by Garth Brooks, he says, “ Life is not tried it is merely survived, if
your standing outside the fire.” This means that if you are standing
outside the fire you are not living life like you should be. By standing
inside the fire you are taking smart, healthy risks and living your life to its
fullest. That doesn’t mean that you should go jump in a fire, it is just a
way of saying that taking risks is a good thing. By taking smart healthy
risks you can become wiser about certain things and experience so much
more. Always think before you perform a risk because one unhealthy risk,
one decision, could change your life.
In
the Lewis and Clark expedition movie they encounter many things where they have
to be smart risk-takers. One thing they encountered was the cold
weather. They took a risk because they could have just turned around and
gone back. They believed and were confident in themselves and they kept on
going to complete the task they were given. One quality you have to be a
healthy risk taker is bravery. You have to have bravery because in order
to risk something you have to be confident in what you are doing and have
bravery in yourself that you will successfully accomplish that risk. Another
time they are risk-takers is when they were traveling and came across a
bear. They had interdependence and power and they fought off the bear for
their safety. That is a huge risk to take because they could have
seriously gotten hurt or even killed. Again, they obtained bravery and
confidence and they were able to accomplish that risk successfully. Some
Dale Carnegie rules Lewis and Clark used to accomplish their journey was
throwing down a challenge, working together, and being a leader. Those two
brave and courageous men listened to each other, worked together as interdependence, were kind and caring
to each other and other people with them, and most importantly, they were smart
and confident risk takers.
John
F. Kennedy once said, “ Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve
greatly.” This quote means that those who try new things and take risks
can achieve and have a successful life. If you try new things and live
life day-by-day and not planned you will live your life to its fullest and not
to it’s dullest. He is mainly saying that it is okay to fall or stumble or
fail while trying something new and by failing you can achieve greatly by
learning right and wrong things.
According
to Dr. Ponton’s article many adolescents are unhealthy risk takers because
their brain is still young and cannot process the consequences of unhealthy
risk-taking. Parents can help their children become smarter and healthier
risk takers by putting energy and a positive attitude into healthier
activities. To be a healthy risk taker, your brain has to stop and think
about the consequences of risk-taking before they take the risk.
If
I had a chance to add to the Dale Carnegie principles and rules I would add
being a healthy risk taker. Being a healthy risk taker can take you so far
in life and teach you a lot. Taking healthy risks can bring your
confidence level up and help you achieve great things in life. It can help
you become a better person because you will want to try new and better things
that will make you successful. An example of that is going to a job
interview. That is a healthy risk and by interviewing for that certain job
you will become more successful. Risk-taking is what you should do to
become a more genuine person and also a smarter and a more successful person
too.
Healthy
risk-taking is very important because if you don’t take risks you won’t achieve
anything. People that take risks in life will get to do a lot more than
people that don’t take risks. It is good to take risks but not to take
unhealthy risks. We can learn about risk taking by watching videos, quotes
and articles. Healthy risks can be setting goals and achieving
them.
In
Garth Brooks’ Standing Outside the Fire he says, “ The best competition is
the competition in your-self.” The story of the music video is that just
because someone has Down Syndrome doesn’t mean you can’t compete against people
that don’t have Down Syndrome. Healthy risk-taking is what the boy in the
music video did, he was strong enough to not care about what people think of
him. He doesn’t care that he is different he still wants to
compete. The boy with Down Syndrome wants to be on the track team and he
won’t let anyone tell him he can’t. He fell down, but his dad kept saying,
“Come on get back up,” so he got right back up and finished the race. In
Garth Brooks’ song he keeps repeating, “ Life is not tried it is merely
survived if you’re standing outside the fire.” The fire is not really a
fire it is the goal we are aiming for. We can learn by listening to
quotes.
In
the movie Lewis and Clark they use interdependence or teamwork by not just
having one person make the plans and ideas. Sometimes they voted to make
the decisions. Lewis and Clark even let the slave York, who was black
vote. If they didn’t treat
President
Kennedy once said, “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve
greatly.” This quote is important because if you never fail then you
probably haven’t taken a risk. You can learn from failing because when you
fail you try harder so you will achieve. John Fitzgerald Kennedy probably
was a very healthy risk-taker. Everyone should take healthy risks to
achieve.
In
the risk-taking article the two different types of risk-taking are healthy
risk-taking and unhealthy risk-taking. Healthy risk-taking can consist of
sports, volunteering, art classes, and acting in school plays. Unhealthy
risk-taking can consist of sexual activity, stealing, and being in a gang. If
you are an unhealthy risk taker you have a higher risk of killing yourself or
even putting you at a risk of killing someone else. Parents are role
models because teenagers watch and imitate their parents. If a parent
smokes or drinks heavily most likely their kid will do it to. Parents
should tell their kids that failing is not the end of the world. Lynn E.
Ponton said that parents can encourage your pre-adolescent to make healthier
choices than you may have made.
Being
a healthy risk-taker should be a rule of Dale Carnegie because to be successful
you have to take healthy risks. To be a healthy risk taker you need to
follow some of Dale Carnegie rule’s such as smile and be a good
listener. Lewis and Clark were very good listeners. Dale Carnegie was
a very healthy risk-taker because all of these rules are healthy.
All around the world people are
risk-takers. Some people take healthy risks and some people take the wrong turn
and go down a dark alley. But, even though some have made one or two mistakes
they can still choose to get right back out. The movie Lewis and Clark showed a
lot of risks they took in order to reach the Pacific. But, also in that movie,
even though they went through some hard times they still stuck together. People
also write about risks whether they are healthy or unhealthy. Garth Brooks
wrote a song about taking risks and he really emphasized the meaning of
risks.
John F. Kennedy once said, “ Those who
dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” He was the 35th president
of our great
In the article The Romance of Risk
by Lynn E. Ponton she talks about why teenagers make the decisions they do.
Their brain is not as fully developed as an adult’s so the decisions they make
are not thought through. People around the world are working to help teens
decide what the difference is between healthy and unhealthy risks. Parents
play a big part in adolescence and preadolescence. Parents can help by keeping
their children occupied on healthy extracurricular activity such as sports,
plays, volunteering, and/or art classes. If kids are more involved in healthy
activities they tend not to think about the unhealthy risks that their friends
or someone they know is doing. Some negative risks are smoking, drinking
alcohol, drugs, reckless driving, stealing, and/or running away. All of these
decisions healthy or unhealthy start in the teen years. Parents are role models
for their kids. Whatever parents do their kids will follow. So don’t set a bad
example for your kids that you don’t want them to follow.
The movie Lewis and Clark the Corps of
Discovery showed a lot of risk-taking and team work. Even though they
went through hard times they stuck together. They used the Dale Carnegie’s
rules a lot throughout the journey. It was very important to their journey to
stick together and you can’t do that if you’re all the time fighting or
arguing. Throughout that journey Lewis had a depression problem, but he didn’t
let that get in the way of the task at hand. They also let the women and the
slave
The song Standing Outside the Fire
had a very deep meaning in risk-taking. It really expressed what it means to
take an unhealthy or healthy risk. The best line in the song is “Life is not
tried it’s merely survived.” Garth Brooks explains that some people take the
unhealthy risk and cause damage to their life or others around them. That’s
really sad to see. His lyrics really have a deep meaning to them. You just have
to think and process the deeper meaning.
Dale Carnegie’s rules take a big part
in the article, movie, song lyrics, and the quote. All around the world in
movies, quotes, songs, and articles. It’s your choice to take the right or
the wrong choice. Just remember either way they have consequences good or bad.
You always have a choice. Just think about the outcome.
This is an essay
about risk-taking, and how people take healthy risks to get far in life. People
use teamwork to help each other take healthy-risks. People can learn about
risk-taking from this essay.
In
the movie, Lewis and Clark took risks to create a map for the
In
the song the words “Standing Outside the Fire” means that you have to take
healthy risks to get anywhere in life. Also this song means that when we
encourage people to take risks we can also help them get them somewhere in life. In
the music video of Standing Outside the Fire there was a boy with Down Syndrome
who had taken a risk to run track. That boy had fallen during the race and
then got right back up. He took a healthy risk on doing something he
enjoyed just like everybody else can take a healthy risk and do something that
they enjoy. For example, the lyric “ life is not tried it’s merely survived,
when your standing outside the fire” means that don’t sit their and watch, go
for your goal and succeed at what you want to do in your life.
The
quote by President Kennedy, “ Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve
greatly” means that when you fail to get back up and try again, not to stop
when you aren’t or don’t do as good as others. For example, say that you
just started a business and you were not getting much money off the products.
You wouldn’t just sit back and let the business fail you would create more
products. So when you fail don’t give up keep trying until you get what you
want to go for. Our parents are important because they teach us how to
take healthy risks and they help us through when we have taken an unhealthy
risk and because they give us good examples, this is why our parents are
important.
The
article about risk-taking by Lynn E. Ponton is about telling kids about healthy
risk-taking and unhealthy risk-taking. Dr. Ponton tells some healthy
risk-taking tasks in which are playing sports or volunteering in school
projects. Also contributing to doing chores around the house often. Dr.
Ponton also tells some negative healthy risks to. Such as drinking
alcohol, smoking, abusing or using drugs, and running away. Theses are all
examples of things that people should not use. When you are about to take
a risk, take a healthy risk, not an unhealthy risk.
People
should use Dale Carnegie principles because the people might take a lot more
healthy risks other than unhealthy risks. Dale Carnegie’s principles are
good to keep friends and keep yourself and others happy. If everybody used
the Dale Carnegie principles then everybody might get along, not as well as
some others get along, but at least they’ll get along. High schools should
especially use Dale Carnegie principle because there is so much drama in high
schools. A lot between girls is over boys and a lot between boys is over
girls. See that’s why we should have Dale Carnegie principles because then
people could strengthen relationships. Also being a healthy risk taker is
a good role because then when people need something in life then they can take
a chance on something or everything to succeed, just like I am taking a risk to
write this essay to try and get a magnificent grade.
Healthy
risk-taking is important. If you don’t take healthy risks then you probably
haven’t lived life to the fullest, you have to try sports and activities. I
think healthy risks are important to take in life. You can learn about healthy
risk-taking from songs, movies, articles, and quotes.
Lewis
and Clark were people who took risks. They had to make a map across the
In
the music video Standing Outside the Fire the child takes a healthy risk and
runs in a race. Although he falls, he gets back up and finishes the race. The
boy and his mom think the race is a good idea but the dad doesn’t think so.
When the boy falls the dad helps him get back up and finish the race.
In
the song it says, “Life is not tried, it is merely survived if you are standing
outside the fire.” The fire is like a risk, a chance, a struggle and you
haven’t tried life until you jump in. The song says, “who have to dance within
the flame,” this means that people are taking risks. The song is talking about
laughing and making fun of people who take risks…but they are really the
winners for trying.
In
the article by Dr. Ponton, she writes that there are two types of risks,
healthy and unhealthy. Healthy risk-taking behaviors almost always tend to have
a positive impact on a young life. Some healthy risks are sports, art classes,
and doing activities in school. Unhealthy risk-taking has a bad influence on
young life. Unhealthy risks are stealing, drug use, and running away. In
addition to talking to children about risk-taking, parents are role models so
parents should be good role models and not take any unhealthy risks.
President
Kennedy once said, “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”
This means that people who take risks, like trying out for a sport, but you
don’t make the team, you will still achieve something, because you tried. I
think Kennedy said this because it is true, at least you are making the healthy
choice to take the healthy risk and you gain experience and confidence from
your efforts.
If
you are a healthy risk-taker then you will probably make more friends and have
more fun, this is what should be added to the Dale Carnegie Rules for
relationships. If you don’t take risks then you probably haven’t lived life to
the fullest. Healthy risk taking is important.
“Those who dare to fail miserably
can achieve greatly.” No truer words wherever spoken. This was said by
John Kennedy, the 35th
Lewis and Clark both achieved
greatness. They achieved greatness by not giving up, even when the going
gets tough. When they got to the mountains they didn’t turn back just
because the mountains were bigger than they ever saw. They were kind,
caring, and friendly to all of the Indians and people they met. They show
interdependence in their expedition and they even brought
I listened to a song, Standing Outside The Fire
by Garth Brooks. The song was really written by Jenny Yates. The song
means take healthy risks not harmful ones. The fire can mean different
things for example the flame could mean risk-taking for someone. For example
a healthy risk would be to play basketball but not staying in a spot you know
you would make, but trying a new spot. And an unhealthy risk would be to
do drugs or bad things. Garth said “The greatest competition in life is
competition with yourself.” That kind of means put yourself to the test…
take a chance and go for what you believe or try in life and take some chances.
The next topic is from the Risk-Taking article.
Did you know that 11-year-old brains are not fully developed and not yet ready
to process the consequences of risk-taking the way the adult brain
does? Parents are important because they give you guidelines and they made
most of the mistakes kids make and they can help their child (children)
accomplish what they needed help with. The 2 types of risk talking are
healthy risk-taking and unhealthy risk-taking. The first lyric of the song
is “ We call them cool.” I think “them” is risk takers, and “we” are
non-risk takers. I mean a lot of people think risk takers are so cool
because they like to take risks. Did you know healthy risk-taking acts
positively on the impact of a child’s, teenager’s, and even adult’s
lives. But unhealthy risk-taking acts negatively on children’s, teenager’s
and adult’s life? Some examples of healthy risk-taking are sports, running
for school office, and even making new friends. Some examples are running
away, smoking, and drug uses are VERY negative risks.
Being a healthy risk-taker is very important
because it can make you very happy in life. It also is important because
it will make you very satisfied with your choices. Another Dale Carnegie
rule should be live life to the fullest and be a healthy risk taker!
To
move on in life you need to take healthy risks. Risks are good things to take,
but if you don’t take risks in life you are more likely to go nowhere in life.
You could learn this from articles, movies, songs and quotes.
A
good quote that Garth Brooks said is “ the greatest competition is the
competition within yourself.” This means that you have to push yourself and
take on challenges and compete with your self. The song Standing
Outside the Fire is trying to say that you can overcome challenges and
that these challenges are healthy risks you can take. Also, that if people try
to tell you that you can’t do something don’t listen to them you can do
anything that you want. Like the kid in the music video that had Down Syndrome
wanted to sign up for the regular Olympics but his dad wanted him to sign up
for the Special Olympics because he thought he would get hurt or embarrassed
but the kid didn’t listen and signed up for the Olympics, so he worked hard to
get fit for it. When he fell while he was running he didn’t stop and his dad
told him to keep going and cheered him on. Something else that Garth said was “
if you are standing outside the fire life isn’t tried just merely survived” he
means if you aren’t taking risks you are just surviving.
John
F. Kennedy once said, “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly”.
By this he means that you have to take big risks in life in order to move on.
He is also saying that if you sometimes fail you will also achieve greatly and
move on in life. So he is saying that you shouldn’t be afraid of failing and
that if you end up failing it will eventually help you.
In
the Lewis & Clark movie they take risks to succeed on their journey. For
this journey Thomas Jefferson told them to find a northwest passage to the
The
article is mostly saying that when most kids are 11 years old their brain
cannot process the consequences of risk taking. Also that when young kids take
risks they are usually not goods risks like drinking, smoking, doing drugs,
reckless driving, running away and gang activity. But healthy risk-taking can
have a good outcome like sports, volunteering, art classes, acting in school
plays, traveling, running for school office and contributing to your family or
community. Sometimes the 11-year-old brain can imitate their parent’s actions
like if their parents smoke or drink they have a high chance that they will
also do the same thing. Parents can also help with this though, they can work
with their kids and tell them that those kinds of things are not something to
do and teach them the positive and negative effects of doing bad things.
In
conclusion, in life there is no way that you will do great things without
taking risk and that all the paragraphs in the essay can help you with this
like the music video, the Lewis & Clark movie, and John F. Kennedy’s quote.
Healthy risk-taking can help you in life by giving you a greater chance of
succeeding. This also relates to Dale Carnegie because it is the same thing, it
gives you better skills in life.
Everyone
should take healthy risks. If you don’t take any healthy risk then you’re
not living. Don’t just do what you know you can do, try new
things. You can learn about risk-taking from movies, songs, and even
quotes.
Garth
Brooks once said, “The greatest competition is to compete with your
self.” He is saying that each of us should try our hardest and take
healthy risks to continue to better ourselves. In his song Standing
Outside The Fire he talks about how people who don’t try to do things
and don’t get hurt are cool because they don’t cry. People call those who
take risk and get hurt fools but they are actually the ones who live life and
are stronger than those who are called “cool.” It is also about
challenging yourself and pushing yourself to meet your challenges. He also
said, “Put yourself to the test and don’t play it safe.”
In
the movie Lewis and Clark they take very big healthy risks. They traveled
to the unknown and everyday experienced something new. It is not like they
asked President Jefferson what dangers they would encounter, they just prepared
for the danger, risk and the task. This is a great example of healthy
risk-taking. Lewis and Clark did not say that when it got tough they would
give up, turn around and go back instead they were ready for the challenges and
kept pushing forward. Their adventuresome spirit helped them to push
through healthy risks. They were determined and continued to challenge
themselves with healthy risks. If they had not taken these risks we probably
would not have moved west. Another healthy risk they took was to work as a
team. They learned to be interdependent with each other and because of
this interdependence they probably could have overcome anything. In the
movie there was a wide array of diversity amongst the people who traveled with
Lewis and Clark. There was a slave, men, and there was even a woman who went on
the trip with them all taking healthy risks. It was an even greater healthy
risk for the woman with her baby but at that time they always traveled with
their family unlike today where they would have told her to stay back to help
ensure the safety of her child and herself. Lewis and Clark had no choice
on this expedition, there was no way around some of the risks they had to
take. Lewis and Clark are very good examples of Dale Carnegie’s rules because
they treated all of the Indian tribes with respect and did not criticize them.
The
quote “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” Spoken by John F.
Kennedy speaks to us about the reality of those who take healthy risks despite
the chance of failure. They are the one’s who are most likely to have the
greatest accomplishments. People who accept failure when they have tried their
hardest are the same people who are able to achieve their goals because they
are prepared for the risks. Those who dare to fail take a big risk but it is a
healthy one because if you work your hardest, even if you are unsure of what
you can accomplish, you will be risking growth and success, both healthy risks.
I believe in this quote with all my heart. It is one of the truest statements
in the world.
So
is there a difference between healthy risk and unhealthy risk? There is
truly a difference A healthy risk is something that will have a positive effect
on you. Examples of healthy risk include volunteering, becoming involved
in your community, sports and school activities. An unhealthy risk is a
risk that has a negative affect. For more information read the article by
Dr. Ponton Some examples of unhealthy risks are drinking, drugs, and stealing.
Parents and other adult role models play an important part in
a youth’s decisions to take healthy or unhealthy risks because they guide the
youth through their beliefs, the example they set, and the information they
provide youth with. Just remember that you have a choice as to whether you take
healthy or unhealthy risks, ultimately it is up to you! Remember to take
healthy risks. If you don’t you will never truly experience life. Don’t take
unhealthy risks they could change your life forever. Sometimes unhealthy risks
may lead you to never have the chance to take a healthy risk. You do not want
to make the choice to take an unhealthy risk that ends your life or restricts
you from ever making another choice, a better choice.
If
you examine Dale Carnegie’s principles you will find that the song, movie,
quote and the article each support them in some way. When putting
together the music video for, Standing Outside the Fire, the team
worked together even with the unexpected effects from the earthquake, they
still did it. In the movie, Lewis and Clark are examples when they treated
each other equally and respected the Indians and their culture. In the
article we see the principles such as adults serving as role models and being a
good listener. The quote tells us to try healthy risks another part of
Dale Carnegie’s principles.
I
listened to quotes, the song “Standing Outside the Fire,” watched a movie and
read an article and now I am ready to tell you about the Lewis and Clark
expedition. We learned that risk-taking is great. It is great only if
you take good risks. If you take a good risk and you try to do your
hardest. If you take bad risks, that is really terrible because you can
cause your own death or possibly cause some else to die. The song and the movie
all relate to each other by two words; risk-taking. There is a difference
between taking risks because there is healthy risk-taking and there is
non–healthy risk-taking. Lewis and Clark took a healthy risk. Thomas
Jefferson wrote a letter to
“On
A
very important line in the Garth Brooks song is,” Life is not tried it is
merely survived if you are standing outside the fire.” ” This line means
you take risks and you may crash and burn, but get up and try it again. The
song Standing
Outside the Fire relates to healthy risk-taking. Just like in the music
video for the song a Down Syndrome kid made a choice about joining track
because that is what he wanted to do. His mom supported him but his dad thought
he shouldn’t do it. His dad was being negative because the kid could do it
but the father didn’t want him to. The father didn’t want him to do track
because the father was embarrassed over his Down Syndrome kid doing a non-
special education sport. He ends up tripping and falling but he gets right
back up again. The kid was using interdependence because his mom helped him
train for the track meet race. That is what healthy risk-taking is all
about. This is what Garth Brooks said, ”The best competition is the competition
in yourself.” That is a healthy risk also good advice to take. “Put yourself to
the test and don’t, play it safe hang out there.” This means challenge yourself
and take healthy risks not the unhealthy risks. “Don’t give up. First if you don’t
succeed try and try again.” Mr. Chase quoted that and everyone can learn a lot
from that quote. I think that Garth Brooks was trying to say that in the song Standing
Outside the Fire.
Lewis
and Clark took a healthy risk and so did the kid on Standing Outside the Fire
music video. I think they were good people and that they should have inspired
others to do the same. That map will get a lot of use and a lot of
traveling might happen. The people should take risks and always be safe.
The
quote that John Fitzgerald Kennedy said was,” Those who dare to fail miserably
can achieve greatly.” This means that those who fail achieve greatly
because they try but they tried but they may not have succeed. This is a
great quote because it is easy for someone to understand and others can achieve
greatly from the quote just by understanding. He is also trying to say
even when you don’t succeed you still are doing the right thing because you
tried your best. If you try you can succeed but only in one way, trying your
hardest.
The
article is about an 11-year old brain that has not fully developed yet. It
is not yet ready to accept the concept of risk taking. This kid is
learning by the mistakes that he makes. They can still take risks but they
can’t understand the concept for the reason for taking the risks that they
did. Some kids may make mistakes and may take the wrong risks but if they
live from the wrong mistake they will and can learn from the
mistake. Don’t let anyone follow you in the risk, unless you are very sure
it is a good risk. If it is a bad risk then you let yourself and the other
person into a tough risk that they might not survive from.
At
the end of the movie they completed the map and they gave it to Thomas
Jefferson. Lewis ended up killing himself because of depression. If
he was living now he could be treated with medicine and care. If I could
travel back in time I would take him a doctor and a counselor. I would
also take Lewis and Clark some food and drinks so that they don’t get hungry or
dehydrated. If you could travel back in time what would you take to him
and Clark? Would you care enough to bring more people so that they can
experience the expedition along with Lewis and Clark?
Risk-Taking
makes every aspect of life interesting.
Taking risks can be positive or it can lead to consequences if you’re
not careful. It is important to take
risks every now and then because it can give you the power to do just about
anything, you can leap and hope to god you can fly. You go in not knowing what’s going to happen
and come out knowing that what you did was worth it. You can accomplish so much by taking risks by
doing things that you won’t regret and even if you do, still feel that
everything happens for a reason. You can
learn about risk-taking from songs, quotes, movies and even yourself and other
people. You have the choice to take
risks and the ability to succeed.
The song Standing Outside the Fire
by Garth Brooks, is a great example of risk-taking. It shows that
taking risks make people think twice about doing something that could hurt them
or make people think their crazy, but in the end they’ll feel better about
themselves. They won’t care what anyone
else said because people will take it back when they realize that they have
succeeded and they proved they could do it.
The line “we call them fools, who have to dance within the flame, who
chance the sorrow and the shame, that always comes with getting burned” really
means that people make fun of those who take dangerous risks but it usually
works out. They may be crazy but if they
just believe in themselves enough then they can achieve greatness. Just like the kid in the music video for Standing
Outside the Fire, he took a great risk by signing up for something that
made many people believe that he couldn’t do it because he was mentally
challenged. That just goes to show you
that it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s knowing in your heart that you can
make it. Even though he got hurt, and he
was starting to think he couldn’t do it, he got right back up off the ground
and he pulled it off.
Parents have a strong role in helping
their child take risks. They teach you
to be friends with life and not be afraid of trying new things. If you spend your whole life worrying about
what’s going to happen tomorrow then you’ll never know what may happen today. Parents are taking risks everyday, the adult
brain is more developed and ready for the consequences that may lie ahead due
to negative risk-taking. The brain of a
12 year old on the other hand, is not fully developed and may not be able to
handle consequences that are from the bad choices they may make. Positive risk-taking has an enormous impact
on a young life. Have your child get
involved in a sport, let them volunteer, participate in school plays, and allow
them to hang out with friends. Those are
some healthy and positive examples of risk-taking. All those things can help prevent negative
things like drinking alcohol at a young age, smoking, running away, or
stealing. Keep yourself and those around
you healthy by taking positive risks.
The quote “Those who dare to fail
miserably, can achieve greatly” by John F. Kennedy, is an amazing quote that
also has a lot to do with risk-taking.
This quote means that those who go the extra mile, and who take huge
risks, and fly without wings will not always make it, but they will always be
the ones who go down in history. People
will remember the ones who took those amazing risks, even if they don’t succeed
the first time they try, try again, and when its all said and done at least
they know they took the risk and worked that much harder to reach their
goal. Nobody’s perfect but imperfection
is the key to an interesting life, because if everyone was perfect and everyone
succeeded the first time, everything would be boring and no one would dare try
new things. There would be no change in
the world, everyday would be the same as the last.
Risk-taking is shown a lot in
movies. The Lewis and Clark; Journey of
the Corps of Discovery expedition was an outstanding film of the
historic Lewis and
As
we get older things get more and more complicated everyday. We have to trust in ourselves and other
people to get through the challenges that come with life. The one thing that has really inspired me to
take risks and really has shown me how scary and exciting life can be is the
movie Invincible based on a true story of the life of Vince
Papale. This movie showed me that you
can’t let the people that never believed in you from the start get you
down. You have to trust the ones who
were always there by your side. Vince
takes the risk of trying out for the Philadelphia Eagles football team. He starts out pretty sure of himself and
thinking it was going to be easy but when he was done he thought that everyone
else was right he was a failure. But all of those people who didn’t believe in
him including his wife, who left him because she thought he was a failure, were
in for a surprise. Their own Vince Papale
became the Philadelphia Eagles rookie and at first everyone hated him on the
team, but he stuck it out and proved he could make it to the big time. He showed everyone that he was a winner and
that he could live his dream. Taking
risks won’t ruin that moment in your life where you think you have made a bad
decision, it can only improve it.
Risk-taking is just the part of life that makes everything work out for
the best.
Vince
Papale in “Invincible”
President J. F Kennedy
The Glorious Journey of Lewis and Clark
along with
Garth Brooks for “Standing Outside the
Fire”
Risk-taking
makes everything interesting. It makes life better. It helps you excel in life.
It gives you more choices in life. Positive risk-taking is a powerful decision
making process. It takes you far and to many places unimaginable. It drives you
to conquer your biggest fears. It is what keeps you going. You can travel many
lengths. The best risks are all within yourself. You can do about anything with
risks, even if it’s not what you were hoping for. Just looking around you, you
can learn a lot about risks in songs, quotes, watching movies, and even in
history. Just look at articles in the newspaper. Think about it. It Martin
Luther King Jr. never spoke his “I Have a Dream” speech, than African Americans
may have never been freed from slavery.
A
fantastic example of risk-taking would be Lewis and Clark. Lewis and Clark were
very powerful people. They went out west where no one had gone before, except
for the Indian tribes. Lewis and Clark became best friends with the
The Romance of Risk: Why teenagers do the things they do, is an article by Lynn E.
Ponton, M.D. The article talks about positive and negative risk-taking that
teens tend to take, and how adults and peers can help us to make the right
decisions to prevent us from making the wrong ones. Adults may not like talking
about their past decisions, but we can also learn from them. While our brain is
still growing, we need guidance to figure out what is a healthy risk and what
is an unhealthy risk to us.
John
F. Kennedy once said, “Those who dare to fail miserably, can achieve greatly.”
To me, this quote means that people who aren’t afraid to take risks, and are
ready and prepared to fail, can win and go farther than those who are too
scared to take the risks. I think this statement is very true and people who
have enough confidence to take that risk, can actually be an achiever.
That
quote leads me to a song by Garth Brooks, called Standing Outside the Fire. This song talks about how life is not tried,
we just live it. Most of us just stand outside of all the risks, instead of
taking them and getting involved. Garth sings, “Life is not tried, it is merely
survived when you’re standing outside the fire.” Those lyrics are the ones that
really mean the most to me. The video for this song is about a mentally
disabled teen that takes the risk of signing up for the “regular” track team.
At an important meet, he races others. He trips and falls, and even though in
great pain, he gets up and keeps going. He does cross the finish line and
achieves his own personal goal.
Risk-taking gives you the thrill of life. It may
even nurture your needs. The biggest risk I have ever taken was turning my life
over to God. He helps me through the roughest risks. He knows what outcome is
best for me. Positive and healthy risk-taking has better outcomes for what
comes after!
Taking a risk can be
positive, whether it be riding a bike for the first time or exploring the vast
new
Standing Outside the Fire, a song by
Garth Brook, includes a video about a child with Down Syndrome who takes a risk
and succeeds. In the movie-video Garth
says, “Don’t play it safe,” meaning life is not fun or fulfilling without any
risks. Also Garth sings,” Life is not tried, it is merely survived if your
standing outside the fire.” He means you have to choose to take risks and you
can’t succeed without taking risks. Also
you will not feel fulfilled or satisfied if you never jump into the fire, take
a risk, and try something new.
In the video, Lewis and Clark; The Journey of
the Corps of Discovery, Lewis, Clark, and their crew took big risks in
order to make a map of the new land. The
risk included making friends with Indians, fighting wild animals, and almost
freezing in the harsh environment and almost starving to death. They also had a scarcity of food and were
once forced to eat candle wax. By taking
a positive risk and using interdependence they crossed the
President John F. Kennedy once said,
“Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve great.” President Kennedy is trying to get the point
across that if you take a risk, even if you fail, you can learn something and
it could change your life. Also taking a
positive risk and failing is a lot better than taking no risks at all. The failure is if you don’t try at all.
A document from the book “The Romance of
Risks” states, “Healthy risk-taking behaviors tend to have a positive impact on
young life.” For example, if someone
took a risk and tried out for a sport, whether or not they made the team it was
a worthwhile, positive risk. Parents
have the power to teach kids about risk-taking, and play a major role. Parents need to be role models and to help
their children determine if a risk is positive, like trying out for a play, or
negative, like smoking.
Risk-taking is a needed experience in
life. Daring to take a chance or daring
to be different, no matter what the outcome, helps us grow and learn. There is a diversity of situations in life
when we can take the risk. For example if
someone can’t decide whether or not they should apply for a job, they should
apply because it is a positive risk.
Even if they do not get the job they will feel good about trying. Attempting to learn a new skill, like skiing,
may seem scary at first, but imagine how thrilling it would feel to make it
down the mountain, even if you fell a few times. Positive risks are everywhere and they are
worth taking.
