What does security mean to you? Money in the bank? A job with benefits? A supportive partner? A loving family? A full tank of gas and a stocked fridge? A college education? Though security means different things to each one of us, given the current state of our country and the world, I feel compelled to delve into this topic. Security is often defined as the state of being protected from danger, risk, or loss.The deeper I dive, the conclusion I keep coming to is this: security is and has always been nothing more than an illusion. I say this because although there are steps we can take to offset certain liabilities, the notion that we can avoid them altogether is simply a falsehood.
For some of you this concept will be highly disturbing, while others are thinking “Tell me something I don’t know!” Regardless of where you may fall on this spectrum, my hope with this article is to make something palatable out of this otherwise inedible shit sandwich.
Let me share a story. In 1997 I had just started a job working for a division of a fortune 500 company and I remember feeling safe because I didn’t have to worry about the business going under or losing my job. I was dedicated and hard-working, therefore my fate was up to me- or so I thought. One morning I got called into the office and was told that the powers that be had changed my job description from full-time to part-time, and just like that I was about to lose half my income and all of my benefits. I was luckier than most because a full-time position had recently opened up and I was able to remain employed and keep said benefits, but the point is (as the saying goes) nothing is guaranteed in life except death and taxes.
Notably, the notion of security has become greatly diminished in the decades since then: thanks to hackers and scam artists our sensitive data has been breached, our climate is increasingly in peril, and AI technology along with other factors (like DOGE) has taken a sledgehammer to the very concept of job security. Our world is increasingly becoming a more harrowing and unpredictable place, and you might be wondering what upsides could possibly be found given these realities? My answer to that, surprisingly, is freedom.
Allow me to explain. Many times we make decisions based on what’s safe and practical, but if security is ultimately a fictional concept, why not go where your heart calls you? Why not follow your passion instead of what society tells you you “should” do? Why not put a little more stock into the things that truly make you happy versus the things that represent something that doesn’t actually exist?
The intention behind this article is not to convince you to dismiss or abandon the things that currently bring you comfort; it is merely to offer an outlook that is possibly broader, more unrestrained, and potentially even more “you” because although security may not exist, authenticity matters. Being true to yourself matters, and that my friends, is a universal truth!