The Danger Zone ⛔

Common Pond Frog Pond Mirroring Photo
Image Credit: Andrea Stöckel

You know that saying about a frog in a pot?

How you can put a frog in boiling water and it’ll jump straight out, but if you put a frog in tepid water and slowly increase the heat, it’ll adjust and adjust until it dies?   -Nathaniel, from the novel “I Have Lost My Way” by Gayle Forman

Survival. How do we look at it? Is survival a place of comfort, ease, and familiarity? Is survival just getting by? I am reading the novel from where the above thought comes from, as the character Nathaniel, surmises how he is dead and has been for a long time now because he stayed in the water (a place of complacency) too long until he succumbed to the normalcy of it.

  1. Do we become complacent in a situation where we’ve existed too long? Have we normalized the place where others have comfortably put us, a place that endangers our health, welfare, and life?
  2. Why do we allow ourselves to die a slow death that is no longer painful but has become a comfortable and pleasurable snare set by someone out to destroy us?
  3. When do we realize that the place where we have existed is suffocating us and scalding us to death while we are none the wiser?

Sometimes we get stuck in a place, situation, or relationship that we probably should have parted ways with long ago. We have now become one with it because we feel the effort is too great to change. At this point, why bother? Like the parable of the frog, when our life is in jeopardy, we either save ourselves and live a life of fulfillment or become friends with the grim reaper as he leads us to the death chamber, where it all comes to an abrupt end for us.

19 thoughts on “The Danger Zone ⛔”

  3. Oh Tammy, I think we all are guilty of moving too fast at times. I am one of those impatient souls who many times is moving too fast, but thinking I am moving too slow. 🏃🏽‍♀️🐌😲 That’s why we have to step away from whatever has nabbed our attention for too long, where we are not aware of the other amazing things happening around us. 🤔

    Girl, I have identified with both case scenarios as far as I’m concerned. While I am not one to dwell in complacency, I have found myself putting off things that I probably shouldn’t, and find myself in a funk because I procrastinated too long. 😣 I guess, depending on the subject and on the individual, we have to examine whether or not we are in a danger zone of complacency! Thanks QT for stopping by and sharing your thoughtful perspective my dear! 🤗😉🥂🦋🌞😘 You KNOW I appreciate it! 🙏🏼

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  7. Girl, this is spot on and I can relate from past experiences! 💯 Years ago when I was being bullied. There came a point when I just stopped fighting and grew numb to the abuse. Because it had gone on for so long, I got used to the bad treatment. 😥 And scientists have done similar studies with dogs and shock treatments. After six months of shocking the dogs who had been in cages for the longest, they brought in new dogs and did the same to them. The new dogs would run from them while the old dogs (those that had been in captivity and shocked for six months, stayed in their cages and only whimpered. 😢

    It’s the same with abusive childhoods and marriages. And it’s a sad way to live because you don’t really live. You only exist.

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  9. Oh my goodness Cherie, I am so glad that you are not only able to talk about your bullying experiences, but that you rose out of the ashes and became a die-hard advocate for victims. It’s so tragic about the experiment done on the dogs. It’s one reason why many abused women can’t walk away from an abusive marriage like people expect them to. It’s like you become immune to it, until you say enough is enough! 😠 How cruel. 😣

    But in the situation of living vs. existing, as Maya Angelou used to say, “When you know better, you do better.” Thank God we have experienced and learned! 🙏🏼💖🦋😊✨💐👍🏼

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  18. Completely agree. The most interesting thing for me about this lovely conversation, is that people do the same thing all their life not because that’s what they necessarily want to do, but, rather, because they know it, it’s familiar, safe, and they are habituated to it. Though uncomfortable, I think one of the best things that can happen to a human being is to be knocked off of their perch of comfortability. When this happens, an awakening can occur, and inside of that – possibility! Wonderful, wonderful post tonight, kindred! Love this!! ❤️🥰🌹💖🌺😘👏👏🌼

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  19. Oh absolutely Jeff. I truly appreciate your wise perspective. I’m sure with the work you do with the people whom you work with, you see evidence of this. Getting knocked off of their “perch of comfortability” as you eloquently stated, is sometimes the very thing needed to make one move! Enjoy this beautiful day my dear friend. As always, thanks for making me smile with glee!!! ☺🤗🤩😘🥰😎😍

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