Unternehmungslustig

“Unternehmungslustig” is a German word for which there does not seem to be a semantically close English equivalent. It is a mixture of “adventurous”, “enterprising”, “thrill-seeking”, “fun-loving” and perhaps also some other concepts.

One reason why this word might not exist in English might have to do with different cultural norms. Americans, in particular, prefer to be independent and unattached, rather than committed to a common cause or goal. Rather than calling one society risk-seeking versus the other being risk-averse, I would say that is has more to do with a different view of the “game” of life. Perhaps whereas one culture is more oriented towards social image and/or social standing, the other culture might be more oriented towards shared experiences.

One odd thing about this is that if you had asked me which culture is more focused on social standing before I had made the above observation, I may very well have said the opposite of what I believe after having made this observation.