America glorifies those who take risks in the abstract, and sues over risks in the particular. When I was 13 I lived in a part of the suburbs where they were building new houses and I worked as a helper. The builders liked me so they let me do more and more tasks, they let me take scraps of wood to build a fort, they let me drive their steamroller. None of that would be allowed now because they'd be terrified of legal liability. It's not an option for my son, Nicholas, who's 13 now.
People are afraid.
They think they learn about dangers but they don't learn quite enough to be realistic. When I discovered volcanology was what I wanted to do I never even considered the danger. I was enthralled by watching with my own eyes the process of rocks being formed, watching nature do its thing. When prospective students approach me, curious about volcanoes, I never let them go anywhere near one until we've discussed the dangers. But I have to remind people that climbing a volcano is much less dangerous than driving in Colombia, whether you have an accident or you're held up at gunpoint.