“I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” - Jack London. This statement describes London as the type of person who would rather live a short and enjoyable life, referencing a meteor’s shine, rather than a “permanent planet”, or someone who lives a long, boring life. For example, skydiving may shorten your life if something is to go wrong, but if you take that risk and enjoy it, it makes for a better life, one that Jack London would theoretically prefer. Many sportspeople acknowledge this rule, to an extent, but the most extreme sportspeople, everest climbers, BASE jumpers, and people who participate in other activities like these, take the idea to a hazardous extent, always
…show more content…
Well, that’s why it’s fun, right? Although I agree with London, I’m very far from going BASE jumping, Everest climbing, or underwater basket weaving. Why? Not only because it’s expensive and I have other commitments, but because it is dangerous, in fact, in “A Solemn Warning to Wingsuit Flyers”, Lola Jones says, “All extreme sports are dangerous, some more than others, and wingsuit flying and BASE jumping probably the most dangerous of all.”, giving the statistics and showing that it could possibly be …show more content…
How do you decide if the years training and risk is worth it or not? Even the most seasoned sports people can get caught up in an un-ideal scenario. Normally, you’d be fine, but in an extreme sport, the smallest mistakes can lead to catastrophe. For example, take Geoffrey Robson, a “qualified mechanical engineer and mathematician who happened to love to wingsuit fly”, but due to faulty calculations, he failed to clear the ridge, and died early, at the age of 31. In the documentary, Everest, 8 people die in a storm on the mountain, and although other climbers thought it was a character building experience, the fact is that 8 people died. According to “A Solemn Warning to Wingsuit Flyers”, other extreme sports are just as dangerous, if not more so, with Summiting K2 coming in at 1/10 death rate, “Summiting K2: 104 [Out of 1,000]”, making it the most dangerous sport in the
Well, that’s why it’s fun, right? Although I agree with London, I’m very far from going BASE jumping, Everest climbing, or underwater basket weaving. Why? Not only because it’s expensive and I have other commitments, but because it is dangerous, in fact, in “A Solemn Warning to Wingsuit Flyers”, Lola Jones says, “All extreme sports are dangerous, some more than others, and wingsuit flying and BASE jumping probably the most dangerous of all.”, giving the statistics and showing that it could possibly be …show more content…
How do you decide if the years training and risk is worth it or not? Even the most seasoned sports people can get caught up in an un-ideal scenario. Normally, you’d be fine, but in an extreme sport, the smallest mistakes can lead to catastrophe. For example, take Geoffrey Robson, a “qualified mechanical engineer and mathematician who happened to love to wingsuit fly”, but due to faulty calculations, he failed to clear the ridge, and died early, at the age of 31. In the documentary, Everest, 8 people die in a storm on the mountain, and although other climbers thought it was a character building experience, the fact is that 8 people died. According to “A Solemn Warning to Wingsuit Flyers”, other extreme sports are just as dangerous, if not more so, with Summiting K2 coming in at 1/10 death rate, “Summiting K2: 104 [Out of 1,000]”, making it the most dangerous sport in the