Puerto Rico’s future is often framed as a choice between courage and fear. But that framing ignores a critical distinction. Autonomy is not an untested idea—it is a constitutional status Puerto Rico already possessed, one that was democratically exercised and then interrupted. Independence, by contrast, has never been implemented in Puerto Rico’s modern history and would require rebuilding essential systems from the ground up. This is not a question of ideals, but of responsibility: which path preserves stability while restoring self-government, and which asks the population to absorb the risks of starting over? The question is not whether change is needed—but which change carries the greater risk.