mountains, death, and the adventuring lifestyle
A mildly poignant opinion piece from the Times retreads old waters.
My own feelings could probably best be summed up as such: Safety is boring.
The trip you didn't take because of the accidents you might have had is nothing worthy of a story. And it's not the stuff that makes a life meaningful, for you or your family.
4 comments:
The topic of adventure and risk is retreaded so many times because each person has a different sense of what is risky and what rewards come with adventure. But that said, it's still a worthwhile discussion, otherwise you'll only learn from your own mistakes (painful) rather than mixing in some learning from others. But I agree with your general sentiment that life without risk is like eating unseasoned food for every meal.
BTW, Confederacy of Dunces is on my reading list. It will take me a while to get to it, I'm a slow reader. I just read Carter Beats The Devil and very much enjoyed it. I'm reading Lucky Jim but not sure I'll finish it - good writing, but the story is hardly there.
Have you tried LibraryThing.com ? Good way for readers to keep track of books. I'm on there - KanyonKris.
This very morning I bagged out of a hiking/fishing trip in the Uintahs because I would have to hike out alone in order to make it to the funeral of a former student (class of '08) who died two weeks ago when he slipped off a trail in the Austrian Alps and fell 60 feet. I decided that hiking alone in bear and cougar country was unwise, odds be damned. Instead I took my kids to a bowling alley where the biggest tragedy was Sara losing her fingernail on her second frame. I don't think my life is unseasoned food, but even if it is, at least I'll have 103 years of it. (Cue Jiminy Cricket: I'm no fool, no-sir-ree, I'm gonna live to be a hundred and three!)
It's a balance everyone chooses. But certainly we should be wise, especially if life is on the line. I'm not saying "be reckless", just that risk is part of life, and we also desire security. The kinds of risks I take on are on the level of "should I go fast on my mountain bike even though I could crash and get injured". I'm not talking about high speed runs where I might get really cracked up. I'm glad I still get a rush from these low level risks.
Balance is a good answer. Especially for a cycling blog.
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