The opposite of risk is not safety but stagnation.
Dangerous and exciting as they may be, many activities associated with risk — from raving to mountain climbing and BDSM — are often part of a healthy and profound process of personal exploration. Our fascination with pushing limits creates intense and contradictory emotions: fear and desire, restriction and liberation, torment and delight, humiliation and exhilaration, devotion and dread. The pursuit of our deepest (and most depraved) desires is inherently risky. But risk is not something you can avoid. Risk is something you manage.
Risk is a lack of certainty about the outcome of a particular choice. Risk is based on probability and impact and depends on many variables. It should be reevaluated every time the context changes and can be addressed with thorough planning.
Don’t avoid your desires because you fear unknown consequences. Instead, make a plan and reduce potential harm by following these steps:
- Acknowledge your desire.
- Research the potential risks.
- Evaluate your physical and emotional boundaries.
- Reflect: What does safety mean to you?
- Plan the experience and don’t make rash decisions.
- Carefully consider set and setting.
- Communicate your boundaries.
- Give your body and mind plenty of time to process and recover.
Remember: each person has their own unique journey. You can overcome rules set by irrational prejudice and traditionalism disguised as common sense by following your desire. Our motivations are curiosity and pleasure. Our methods are risk management and harm reduction. Our goals are revolution and love.
Inglorious and unheroic, HIGH Risk is our ritual for transgressive necessities. Submit to what you fear. Reveal your deepest longing and inhabit some hidden part of yourself. Indulge in the thrill of violating taboos and enter dream states and trance. Explore the ridiculous and the revolting, the exciting and the dreadful. Celebrate HIGH Risk in the staggering vertigo of collective joy.
HIGH Risk
April 19 • 22-06h