Essay Examines Decline in Risk-Taking Among Canadians

An opinion article posted on ZeroHedge on May 24, 2026, states that opportunities for adventure have declined in Canada. The piece, originally published by The Epoch Times and written by Murray Lytle, compares 18th- and 19th-century explorers with present-day patterns.

Alexander Mackenzie reached the Arctic Ocean overland in 1789 and crossed the Rocky Mountains four years later. Martha Black, then known as Martha Purdy, traveled to the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898 while pregnant and later served in Canada’s Parliament.

The article notes that Mackenzie left home at age 15 and that Black journeyed north after a failed marriage. It states that government support systems and changing attitudes toward risk have altered incentives for such actions. Statistics Canada data cited in the piece indicate that twice as many millennials live at home compared with earlier generations.

The authors of the 2021 book “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, are referenced for observations on children being shielded from risk.

The article lists the absence of unmapped territory, GPS coverage, and internet access as factors that reduce the chance of becoming lost. It adds that school policies, such as announcements restricting snow play, illustrate a broader emphasis on safety.

The piece concludes that adventure can still occur through curiosity and engagement with uncertainty, including travel or discussion of political questions such as Alberta’s place in Canada.