Phun-size Philosophy # 59 – Slippery Slopes

Slippery slopes are basically the points in life in which the further you go down a path the harder it is stop let alone try and turn around or switch direction so it is a time in which you need to head with extreme caution. When I’m talking about going down a path I mean that when you take certain actions in life, if you continuously do them without restraint then it will become tougher and tougher to stop. It develops habits and if these habits aren’t associated with positive behaviors then it can end with negative results. It doesn’t also have to relate solely to your actions but the actions of others or your environment as well. A good concept or visual picture to consider when you’re thinking about this topic is the snowball effect. This is a perfect representation for this as a figurative term for the process that starts from an initial state of little significance but then build upon itself becoming bigger and bigger. While this may not necessarily be a bad or good thing per say, one thing that is almost certain to happen is that the “snowball” goes beyond the scope of your control as it progresses into an avalanche and because of this it could be potentially dangerous but possibly also beneficial depending on the situation. It is important to realize that things can get out of hand very quickly if not properly maintained so you need to actively observe and keep in check the different aspects and parts of your life that you wish to have a say in. Depending on your personality, you may be a person who is viewed as a control freak you needs to posses control over the current predicament. You may need to have the situation under your power and influence and exercising your capabilities in order to make life be the way you want and envision it to be but make sure those actions are well thought out. Slippery slopes once they get started are also hard to stop so you need to think well in advance of where you want the situation to go before it actually does get out of hand because then you’ll just be riding down the avalanche not being able to get out. If you want the future to head in a certain direction you need to be the change required to initiative it and early on before it is too late. You can’t just sit back and watch and expect or hope that the avalanche will stop or go in a direction you want it to. Check out more at http://humanpoweredpodcasts.squarespace.com/!

-Allan Nicholas