Brandon Nelson

Ninja Theory of Safety

I read Inc. Magazine every month. Entrepreneur porn, if you will. Big idea fuel. A constant stream of really good writing about one of my favorite subjects: Business start-ups.

In the current issue, there is a paragraph with parrallel significance to a subject that’s been at the very forefront of my mind this year: Safety philosophy. Winter storm paddling season always has a handful of close calls on the water with the local surfskiing crowd. Heavy winds, big waves, cold water and testosterone have added up to three Coast Guard rescues of close friends of mine.

The rescues [should] get us all thinking, even soul-searching, about how we’re approaching and handling a potentially deadly endeavor. Coming from a whitewater kayaking background where there is a concise numerical rating system for individual rapid difficulty – and therefore paddler skill and ‘readiness’ — it’s frustratingly difficult to articulate a rating for a “stormy day on the Bay.”

In the end, it’s about the paddler him or herself, and attitude, as the following quote by Inc.-interviewed inventrepreneur Saul Griffith, describes:

“There are two theories on safety,” he pronounces. “There’s the SUV model: You wear steel-toed boots and helmets and just survive the injury. Or you go naked, and you’re hyperaware of your surroundings. That’s ninja style. I’m ninja.”

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 1:36 am and is filed under NW 'Words' of Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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