Commonsense says stay away from threats. When we have to look over our shoulders to see whether or not there is an imminent danger, we divide our energies, lose focus, and miss goals. Problem is that nature and humans can make any time or place dangerous. So, we’re geared to be on the lookout. Sometimes that makes us a bit over anxious and unnecessarily wary.
Is it possible that our wariness has an appetite for danger? Risk-takers and thrill seekers appear to demonstrate that when times do not seem dangerous, some people even look for a bit of danger. Of course, there are degrees of danger. Take, as an example, a low-level threat. As T. S. Eliot has his poetic character Prufrock ask, “Do I dare to eat a peach?” On a popular TV food show called Man v. Food the host Adam Richman risks the “dangers” of eating foods so hot they rank very high on the Scoville unit scale of spicy heat. Danger-seekers and voyeurs of danger-seekers: Are we so bored by a time of peace and safety that consumption of food thrills us? Does even the smallest of perceived dangers whet the appetite?
The Romans and Carthaginians had fought two wars, called the Punic Wars. After the second, Carthage posed no real threat to Rome. As the story goes, every time Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder spoke to the Senate, regardless of the topic at hand, he ended by saying “Ceterum ceneo Carthaginem esse delendam” (“For the rest, I hold that Carthage must be destroyed”). Those two previous wars between the powers had reduced Carthage’s influence in the Mediterranean. But Cato persisted. “Ceterum ceneo Carthaginem esse delendam” became an earworm. People heard it over and over and over. When Romans believed Carthage had violated a provision of their mutual treaty, the Third Punic War did ensue.
Yes, there are real threats, and yes, we need to be wary. But we can’t let Cato’s refrain become an earworm. Maybe some Carthaginians pose no threat. Not all foods are as dangerous to our ulcers as a peach or to the lining of our stomachs as a habanero. Not all dangers are equal. Each of us needs a Scoville-like scale that allows us to judge the intensity of a threat.
Is it possible that our wariness has an appetite for danger? Risk-takers and thrill seekers appear to demonstrate that when times do not seem dangerous, some people even look for a bit of danger. Of course, there are degrees of danger. Take, as an example, a low-level threat. As T. S. Eliot has his poetic character Prufrock ask, “Do I dare to eat a peach?” On a popular TV food show called Man v. Food the host Adam Richman risks the “dangers” of eating foods so hot they rank very high on the Scoville unit scale of spicy heat. Danger-seekers and voyeurs of danger-seekers: Are we so bored by a time of peace and safety that consumption of food thrills us? Does even the smallest of perceived dangers whet the appetite?
The Romans and Carthaginians had fought two wars, called the Punic Wars. After the second, Carthage posed no real threat to Rome. As the story goes, every time Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder spoke to the Senate, regardless of the topic at hand, he ended by saying “Ceterum ceneo Carthaginem esse delendam” (“For the rest, I hold that Carthage must be destroyed”). Those two previous wars between the powers had reduced Carthage’s influence in the Mediterranean. But Cato persisted. “Ceterum ceneo Carthaginem esse delendam” became an earworm. People heard it over and over and over. When Romans believed Carthage had violated a provision of their mutual treaty, the Third Punic War did ensue.
Yes, there are real threats, and yes, we need to be wary. But we can’t let Cato’s refrain become an earworm. Maybe some Carthaginians pose no threat. Not all foods are as dangerous to our ulcers as a peach or to the lining of our stomachs as a habanero. Not all dangers are equal. Each of us needs a Scoville-like scale that allows us to judge the intensity of a threat.
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