Today, I had the pleasure of sitting in the back loading zone for about half an hour, waiting for my ride who was stuck in traffic. While I watched parents arrive and students pile into the passenger seats or take over the driver's side, I amused myself by looking at how the drivers would proceed in leaving the pick-up zone. (Pathetic, I know) Most would back up before making the turn to exit, but the curious thing was, most cars could fit simply by turning without backing up. But I knew what held them back, to take that extra precaution, because though it was such a mediocre act in the mess of everything else, I'd found the perfect reflection of the same apprehension in everything we do.

For centuries, the future has been regarded as something ominous hanging above our heads, waiting for the exact moment to explode. The uncertainty of each forthcoming minute creates a tension, a blossoming fear of what was going to happen to us at the end of those 60 seconds...

Oracles, fortune-tellers, palm-readers -- all would attempt to tell of your future, comfort you by making the unknown known, but the truth is: they know nothing. We approach life with a certain lack of perception, a blindness that renders us unable to see through the haze. And that explains why so many people make conservative decisions that would ultimately ensure survival. Conservative actions such as tentatively backing up before making an already-safe turn.

Despite the pessimism that underlies this so far, there's a bright side, just as there always is. What would life be without taking chances? The most beautiful things can come from good fortune. What would love be without challenges or mistakes? It would become nothing for without error, love would be a burnt-out fuse.

There are probably some who will take this and go out living with a grain of salt. But that's not what I plan to do or what I intended. Opportunities await, and I want to do a bit of my own exploring. Experiment with luck, with happiness, with love. Cause remember, in the end, there's always second chances.