All life down to the last cell have an anergy and drive for self-preservation, reproduction and sustainability. This force and energy is called ‘allostasis’ and results in many ways that beings regulate living.

Homeostasis is the energy and force to maintain stability through constancy.

Both homeostasis and allostasis help explain why people without any intervention, manage to change from one state to another. The energy of this movement we call ‘motivation’ and the drive to meaning and purpose to live. The will not to live results in suicide which is represented by .0001% of the population. The silly Safety idea that people want to harm themselves or are stupid, is nonsense. This is a wonderful concoction for Safety arrogance, so that it doesn’t have to think about why people do what they do.

In risk and safety, the mythology of self-harm is perpetuated by the nonsense Bradley Curve. The Bradley Curve is just one more concoction developed by DuPont to sell safety products. This from the organisation that knowingly harmed tens of thousands, covered it up and then continue to boast about how good they are at safety (https://safetyrisk.net/dark-waters-the-true-story-of-dupont-and-zero/).

The Bradley Curve (https://safetyrisk.net/nonsense-curves-and-pyramids/ ) is also based on the silly idea of Original Sin, concocted by Augustine in his understanding of fallibility (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/fallibility-risk-living-uncertainty/). None of this is supported by any research or is helpful in understanding the challenges of tackling risk.

At the foundation of allostasis is the energy and drive to survive, cope and live. Our body drives this energy chemically through the secretion of adrenalin, cortisol, serotonin etc. This is how we demonstrate resilience in times of distress and trauma. When our body or part of our body is under threat, our endocrine, nervous and respiratory systems go into overdrive. As these systems get working, they then send messages to the brain to tell it what they are doing. The slow brain simply isn’t quick enough to direct thinking in ‘fight and flight’ mode.

The outcome of allostasis and homeostasis is adaption, change and movement. This is how we build resilience over time and this is shared in social context. Just as cells have this energy to survive, so do groups indeed, form in groups is also driven by allostasis. There’s safety in communities, social meaning and collective coherence.

This is how we move when risk goes wrong. This is how we learn and develop resilience by living life. Risk Makes Sense.

Allostasis and homeostasis are automatic and neither rational or cognitive. These drives are embodied and have a life, energy and drive of their own. They are not brain directed decision making, neither are they habit, but heuristics paly a strong part of such enactivity.

So, jettison the nonsense of safety is a ‘choice’ and start engaging in an understanding of why people do what they do.