Reply #62: I ride a motorcycle [View All]

[ForrestGump]

(very well -- learned how 31 years ago), I drive better than most people (probably in part because riding a bike tends to make for a better driver), I've climbed, sailed, kayaked (including surf and whitewater), studied martial arts for 20 years (wanna talk about potential for injury?), and for many years dived as part of my career (would've dived, anyway, but my professional diving took me to remote areas and caused me to dive under conditions recreational divers would have skipped). In other words, I could be seen as an irresponsible thrillseeker given that most of my life's activities have revolved around things that many or most would consider inherently marked by elevated risk of physical harm.

The key is that I was always good at what I chose to do (I ensured I was good at it, through being well prepared...I never just jumped into anything) and I knew my limitations and respected the risks and the environments in which I took them. When I didn't feel like I was especially suited to an activity -- climbing and whitewater kayaking -- I faded away from it over time. The risk of 'high-risk' activities normalizes when the person participating in them is good at what they do, cautious in their execution of it, and aware of their capabilities and limitations. I don't see how you can make blanket statements about high-risk activities, given that the real risk is so variable in response to several factors and very dynamic even within an individual. I'd wager I'm in lower likelihood of serious mishap while engaged in some of these 'risky' activities than I would be doing more innocuous things, like crossing a road or starting a restaurant thread on DU.

I am not a thrillseeker or daredevil -- quite the contrary, actually. I can be too cautious, at times. I'm a pretty prudent dude, usually. Some risk is necessary -- by definition, it's unavoidable in life, the only sure thing (and the only statistic to trust) being that ten out of ten people die -- but I have never been a gung-ho thrillseeking adrenaline junkie, and I frown upon those who are (for one, they tend to be very dangerous people to be around). I grew up around outdoorsmen who were among and who associated with some of the élite of the climbing, kayaking, sailing, and adventure communities -- not one of those men was a foolhardy daredevil. Daredevils don't last long in the kinds of environments they visited.

Not fair to punish someone like me who engages in activities deemed 'dangerous,' not when the risks are controlled far beyond the level you encounter on the streets every day during your commute. And I wouldn't trade anything for the things I've seen and experienced while engaged in those activities.