In our lives, it is important to exercise self-command. However, we should not be so concerned with the future that we stifle the present. The question becomes what balance should we strike between self-command and risks? What kinds of risks are acceptable or unacceptable? In this essay, we will use two examples of risks to show the distinction between the two and arrive at a conclusion as to the balance one should have between risk …showed first 75 words of 969 total…

…showed last 75 words of 969 total…continuing what humans treasure most: life. Similarly, my AIDS cure would offer some hope to patients who are assured an eventual long, painful death. Maybe the cure might work for them. If not, that it did not would be almost insignificant. Spending my life's savings on an AIDS cure would almost certainly increase the general happiness, as it would provide hope. That, in the end, it is a failure is of little, if any, significance.