# Life's Error Margin Is Bigger Than You Think

After reading this story about buying rice and ending up in Tibet, you'll understand a real truth.

The core logic of this story:
Buy rice → Fish → Get lost → End up in Tibet → Go home.
A series of wrong moves, yet nothing catastrophic happened.
This shows: Most choices aren't that fatal.

**Why is the error margin so large?**

First, modern society's infrastructure as a safety net.
Run out of gas and you can find a gas station. Car breaks down and you can find a repair shop.
No phone signal, but the road is still there.
This is the dividend of civilization, not a personal achievement.

Second, most decisions are irreversible in theory, but correctable in practice.
Take a wrong turn and you can turn around. Choose the wrong job and you can switch careers.
Truly irreversible, life-ruining mistakes are actually rare.
Don't treat small things like life-or-death crises.

**But the problems are significant.**

First, survivor bias.
The author can tell this story because they got lucky.
Some people blow a tire in uninhabited areas. Some people really don't come back from getting lost.
Don't use someone else's luck as your safety net.

Second, this is an anecdote, not a guide.
Buying rice without money, going to Tibet without health codes, driving mountain roads at night.
Any single one of these could lead to serious consequences in reality.
Find it amusing, but don't imitate self-destruction.

**The source of anxiety.**

We always feel every step must be right.
Pick the wrong major and you're done. Enter the wrong industry and you're ruined. Marry the wrong person and life is miserable.
Actually, life is a wilderness, not a railroad track.
A slight deviation might lead to better scenery.

**Real advice for people prone to anxiety.**

First, distinguish between "fatal errors" and "regular errors."
Illegality, health, safety—these are red lines. Don't cross them.
Most other things? If you mess up, you mess up. You can fix it.

Second, don't obsess over "sunk costs."
The rice didn't get bought. The fish didn't get caught.
But you saw pandas and experienced adventures.
The process is also a gain. Don't only focus on the outcome.

Third, allow yourself to "waste" time.
Taking detours, getting lost, daydreaming.
These seemingly unproductive hours might be life's buffer zones.
Too much tension breaks things.

Fourth, do basic preparation well.
A large error margin doesn't mean no preparation needed.
Maintain your car, save your money.
The more solid your foundation, the larger your error margin.

**One last honest thing.**

This story's ending is engagement bait.
But that doesn't diminish the good lesson it teaches.
Life really isn't that fragile.
But don't use that as an excuse to give up.

A large error margin means you should dare to try.
Not that you should recklessly mess around.