Article May 16, 2011 Issue

Living beyond the fear of accidents

By Ron Ballard

Accident: n., unexpected event, especially one resulting in damage; chance.

Given recent events such as the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, floods in Australia, a serious bus accident in New York, or even doomsday predictions, like the Mayan Calendar scenario, one might think the above definition of accident looms large in how life works.

But it’s important not to go there—not only because it’s not very settling to live in fear of what might be around the corner, but because how we think collectively actually goes a long way in determining what we experience.