The Fata Morgana of Security: Becoming Antifragile

How secure are you, really? Are you holding back for the sake of security?

For years, I held back. I avoided exploring new paths, taking bold opportunities, or stepping into the unknown. Why? Because of the “what ifs.”

What if things don’t work out? What if everything goes wrong?

I was afraid of risk and change. So I stayed where it was “safe”, in my own little world, where everything was secure and predictable.

I was afraid of risk and change. So I stayed where it was “safe”, in my own little world, where everything was secure and predictable.

But something in me began to shift. The hunger for adventure was always there, quietly waiting. I started to notice a common theme in the regrets people express near the end of their lives: “I wish I had done X, but I didn’t because of Y.”

They wished they had taken the risk.

They wished they had lived more fully.

And they regretted the things they didn’t do more than the things they did.

That realization changed me. I began taking more risks. Still, I clung to the illusion of safety. I wanted to manage my risks instead of letting go of them completely. But the truth is this:

We’re trapped in a false belief, this feeling of security that paralyzes us from taking action.

It keeps us in the same job, in the same lifestyle, in the same routine.

Our lives are covered in insurance: job security, health insurance, fire insurance, car insurance, dental insurance, income protection. Some celebrities even insure their body parts.

Security is embedded deep into our world. It’s even the second level of Maslow’s pyramid, right there between physiological needs and love & belonging.

But what if we’ve misunderstood it?

What if security isn’t the absence of risk…

What if security is risk?

Security can actually make us less secure. It limits our freedom to explore, to grow.

Security can actually make us less secure. It limits our freedom to explore, to grow.

Take the example of work: having one employer feels secure. But isn’t it risky to rely entirely on one company for your livelihood? What if they go bankrupt? What if there’s a reorganization and you’re let go?

In that case, you carry all the risk and get none of the reward.

Now imagine having five small income sources instead. One might fail—but the impact is minimal. The whole system becomes more resilient.

The same logic applies in farming. A farmer who grows only corn is vulnerable if corn fails that season. But a mix of crops, corn, potatoes, spinach, offers resilience.

Finance has long understood this principle:

Diversify. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Invest in 10–20 stocks, not just one. Spread the risk.

Yet in our own lives, we often put everything in one fragile basket, clinging to the illusion that it’s “safe.” Ironically, we make ourselves more vulnerable by doing so.

Stability in Fragility

According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb, pressure is essential for growth. In his words:

“Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.”

Maybe the lack of pressure, the lack of risk, makes us more vulnerable in the long term.

Yes, risk leaves us exposed in the short term. But it builds strength.

Taking no risk might feel safe now, but it can leave you dangerously fragile later.

My views on security have shifted.

What about you?

Are you trapped by security? Or are you becoming antifragile?