Better Safe than Sorry

When in doubt, we run to others with our concerns.

If you look at it, a lot of the time we do so just for peace of mind. "Better safe than sorry," we say, because experience, expertise, and authority must count for something.

Which it does, albeit in those instances where it's really needed. It's dangerous to self-diagnose and self-medicate. It's good to seek guidance from those with the moral authority to give it. And it's often helpful to consult those whose judgment we trust.

Yet there are times when we turn to others unnecessarily. Hypochondriacs are made, not born. Weigh the implications of a decision too much and you'll end up in analysis paralysis. And while it wouldn't be a bad idea to do as your mother says, it isn't entirely healthy to go through life doing only as others say or seeking their approbation. (Sorry, mom.)

So it turns out that when we turn to others for peace of mind, what we're really doing is looking for someone to tell us "it's going to be all right."

That's a characteristically human foible, to be sure. In a perfect world, we shouldn't have to look to other people to tell us this. No doubt, the affirmation helps. But there is no better affirmation than the personal belief that it will be so. You can't get that from anyone else. To steel oneself and have such conviction takes preparation, work and courage, yes, but it's entirely worth it for real peace of mind.