I'm writing this in the middle of the reopening phase of America's COVID-19 experience. We are a week out from when public school would have ended in our state and restrictions are starting to lift in awkward ways. I've had many conversations with people responsible for opening certain institutions and have found there are two solid limits to what I would have to regard as "reasonable".

Reckless

The reckless are those that throw caution to the wind. They disregard safety in any form. They move at breakneck speed without regards to the well-being of their fellow man. This nature is not helpful as some measure of safety is worth regarding and the well-being of our fellow man is one of the hallmarks of community. By this reasoning trailblazers are not good policy makers. They take hills in conquest, but can neither hold nor share them effectively. Therefore, I think the reckless need to be regarded, but their proposals rejected as they lay outside the reasonable area of regarding safety and community.

Anxious

The anxious have a quirky habit. They take the unknowns of life and fill them with the worst possible scenarios. It becomes a habit to where if they are not certain of a thing, it must have bad in store for them. In its extremes, these unfortunate souls become afraid of their own shadow and cannot venture beyond what is known and secure for them. They are obviously the opposite side of the reckless in that they see danger in places it likely isn't and will error on the side of doing little if anything that can be considered new and never anything that could be risky. The anxious can be helpful in identifying the unknowns, but have no ability to deal with those unknowns effectively. Hence, their policies must also be rejected as unreasonable.

What is Reasonable?

Given the two extremes: reckless and anxious, the question is what lies between? What can be effectively considered reasonable? A lot. Most of us live in the middle - between absence of care or caution and permanent angst. Realizing that there are bounds to what can be considered reasonable is a start in approaching any unknown scenario, at least for me. It's worth exploring the boundaries with the intent of finding a solution that benefits as many as much as possible without exploitation or excessive danger. Risk is always a factor with the unknown, but that's a factor to fear - it's one to explore and embrace. Because without uncertainty, life would become rather dull indeed. Life is uncertain. Approach it reasonably.