Opportunity Cost vs. Opportunity Lost
“Steven! That scooter is much too small for you! Do you know what will happen if you try to go down the hill? You’ll fall! You’ll land on your face; you’ll smash your nose and blood will be everywhere! We’ll have to go to hospital all weekend!”
- Steven’s Mother (literally word for word)
Poor Steven.
I'm pedalling home from training on the first day of the Anzac Day Long weekend when I witness Steven berated by his (assumed) mother. His father having taken a back seat to the action – looking plenty sheepish.
Steven and fam are perched atop a particularly steep section of the local bike path that winds along my local Yarra River - more of a trickle most days but when you live inner city you celebrate the nature wins.
Approx. 7 years old, this pint-sized daredevil was keen to give the decline a red-hot go.
This is his moment.
Matching fluoro knee pads, elbow pads and helmet?
‘Check!’
Runway clear of Middle-aged Electro-bike Mavericks?
‘Check!’
“Steven to tower: I’m preparing for launch!”
…
‘ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! YOU’RE GONNA DIE!”
I witnessed a robbery occur that sunny Autumn morning in April. Steven’s confidence, his inclination toward autonomous thinking and risk taking. His glory/brother bragging rights. All snatched away, in one fell, overprotective-fear-projecting, swoop.
See, whether that particular scooter escapade went epicly awry or not, Steven was still going to be a winner that day. His Mum threw in the towel before he’d even entered the ring, like a cornerman who realises at the bell that they aren’t actually that keen on their fighter getting hit.
‘Oh well, Steven – there’s always the PlayStation at home.’ - assumed inner monologue of ‘Post-trauma Steven’.
A quick sense check past an ‘opportunity cost vs. opportunity lost’ decision making matrix (see below) may have helped to reign in Steven's mother’s fears, rather than her projecting them to devastating effect.
Is the oppurtunity cost lower than the oppurtunity lost? Yes? Then let’s strap on those fluoro protective pads, grab that hot-pink-too-small-scooter and GET SOME!
Be your EPIC
We out. 🙇
| Oppurtunity Cost | Oppurtunity Lost | |
|---|---|---|
| Ride your sister’s too-small-scooter down the big hill… | The likelihood of incurring significant physical trauma and a visit to the hospital is low, especially with fluorescent protective pads… | High: Steven has been robbed of autonomous thinking, risk taking and non-digital based excitement. Oh well, off to the PlayStation and a piece of cake… |
| Red Velvet Cake | Low (for people without an underlying health condition): you will increase your calorific intake and blood glucose will spike, maybe even get a little 'cake buzz' on | Low: If you're really concerned; go for a run. |
| Beginning a new EPIC something | Low: There are approximately 22,075,000 seconds to be lived in the average human lifespan. Surely you can spare a few to explore your extraordinary? | High: Who knows what EPIC awaits on the other side of this new journey? The only guarantee: you’ll learn, grow and find a better version of yourself - a fair trade for a few hundred thousand pesky Earthling seconds! |
| Investing all of your savings into an emerging digital currency | Unless you're Elon Musk; likely pretty freaking high… | Unknown: Sure, invest, but only $ that you can lose, not your house. |
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We out. 🙇