Living is Risky

It has been suggested that the best hope for achieving a longer and healthier life lies in voluntary efforts derived from personal choices. This means that individual change must be directed toward the modification of lifestyles and the choices associated with them. Every lifestyle is a complex of related attitudes, habits, and other behaviors that, in essence, constitute a death style. Each death style in turn carries with it various degrees of risk-taking.

Our survival potential both in terms of quality and longevity is significantly enhanced or diminished by certain attitudes and habits and their associated risks. This dimension of survivor education is a central focus of this book. While it largely concentrates on individual culpability, the societal context is also emphasized. Indeed, threats to our welfare often come from institutional or corporate activities that are beyond our control.