CPE 2018 Letter to the Editor: Taking risks

Dear Gustavo,

I would be very glad if you could read my writing and give me some feedback.

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards,

Cristina La Spina

CPE Writing part 2

A general interest magazine has recently published a feature entitled "Taking risks makes life worth living". The editor has asked readers to write in with their own experiences and views on the topic, You decide to write a letter briefly describing a risk you once took and its consequences, you should also discuss why some people are particularly attracted to taking risks and how this behaviour might be justified.

Dear Sir,

I read your feature "Taking risks makes life worth living" in your last issue. I understand the point you make – never taking risks in life would make our existance quite flat and dull. Nevertheless, every time you decide to take risks, you must be ready to bear the possible consequences, which might not be pleasant. This is why you should be aware of the price to pay for risky choices and make sure it is worth it.

As it concerns my personal experience, when I was in my early twenties I once had to fly from Linate to London in the early morning, so I decided to spend the previous night at my sister's place, since she was a university student in Milan. We set off for the airport, caught a bus  and I don't know how she persuaded me that no one in Milan would pay a bus ticket, that it was kind of a custom that students in Milan didn't bother to pay for transport and that no one would check on us. But unfortunately after about 10 minutes two bus controllers were in front of us asking for our tickets. I felt so ashamed, I was furious with myself, wondering how I could have taken that risk. Moreover, I felt very embarassed in front of the other travellers.

Since then I have often asked myself why we act against rules, even knowing it is wrong, risking to be punished. I think that especially young people quite naturally try to challenge society, either consciously or unconsciously, and try to break the system of rules established by adults. It might be due to the idea of being invincible, typical of youth, or even to the need of the young to experiment how far they can go. Of course, young people are not the only willing to take risks but I think that age is particularly exposed to risk, seen it as tempting and harmless. Maturity makes people more aware of the possible consequences and hence more cautious.

All in all, I learnt a lesson from my "risky" behaviour and I have an anedctote to teach my children but I still feel annoyed for the money I had to pay!

Yours faithfully,

Cristina La Spina

Feedback:

Dear Cristina, I think you made a pretty good job with this letter. Apart from a couple of minor changes, like an "it" or a comma, there was not much correction for me to make. Let's see if our readers give you some extra feedback. Good luck!