Quote of the Day: "There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

November 8, 2014
China president says risks to economy 'not that scary'

"There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

This reminds me of a rhetorical flight I recently took.

We were somewhere over the South Pacific when I heard the muffled sound of a small explosion. A few minutes later the captain made the following announcement.

"There's been an electrical fire in the cockpit. None of our instruments are currently in operation. Have no fear though. There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

I turned to the person next to me. He was sweating profusely and was clearly shaken. I asked if he was as concerned as I was about the state of the plane. This was his reply.

"There's something wrong with the plane? My mind is dwelling on other things. You see, I flew back from Liberia three weeks ago and out of nowhere, I am suddenly running a fever. Don't you worry though. There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

The problems with the plane suddenly seemed less important to me. As I was pondering infectious diseases, a flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder and whispered the following in my ear.

"I notice that you are keeping your wits about you, more so than most. I therefore have a question to ask you. Do you have any experience disarming bombs? We've discovered a few additional ones in the back of the plane and we could use a steady hand. There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

Later that day, as we were drifting in a makeshift raft composed of broken pieces of the fuselage, the one other survivor of the crash confided something in me.

"We are slowly sinking. There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

That's when I offered him a few encouraging words of my own.

"That's okay. It's been a good 10 minutes since I last saw shark fins. There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."

I think we could have become good friends if he had survived the night. He had such a great sense of gallows humor. I shall never forget his last words to me.

"We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly. There are indeed risks, but it's not so scary."