When I was 22 I was only mildly surprised to find a group out of San Francisco which was called the Suicide Club. They had T-shirts featuring a Skeleton and the Golden Gate Bridge. They would illegally climb the bridge, and actively admired those persons who committed suicide by leaping off it. This was seen as a kind of super graduation ceremony, and many of the members in fact did plan on killing themselves at some point. And did.
Something in the forum recently reminded me of Risk, and what we allowed and did not allow in our own lives. Many people see knives as 'high risk', and certainly firearms. Motorcycles, fast cars, bungie jumping, some forms of MT biking and skiing, free hand climbing, river rafting, back country hiking, large predator hunting....we've a long list.
I think a lot of the folks in knife and gun forums get a kick out of the percieved 'high risk'. Certainly, no one here. But we're aquainted with the Ninja wantabe's and SOF and various 'dream' scapes the individual paints for himself- and sometimes for others to see and hopefully 'admire'. There is ego involved with the percieved 'control' of high risk behavior. In a society where individual responsibility and decision making is quickly being degraded both by Govermental regs and cultural beliefs, this percieved control is gratifying to many.
There is a fascination with death in our society.
So many things of intrinsic interest include high risk. Knife making is not entirely safe, if you think about it, nor the operation of machinery. We take risks in many of our leisure pursuits, life hobbies, and careers. Crossing the street is risk, living in a large City, or proposing Intelligent Design if one is a non-tenured professor at an American University.
Sometimes the rewards of risk are much greater than the chance of failure. The individual makes these decisions.
What's all this mean? Not much. Just thinking out loud. Without risk our lives would be boring. To overcome risk requires a kind of super responsibility. When you handload ammo you are practising safe procedures- not unlike the extra attention of a provider in the medical field. Shooting safely makes for a stronger, better person, not so much because he may become a crack shot, but the presence, authority, and awareness he developed along the way.
Contrast this to intervening in the lock down adolescent ward of a Psych Unit, where the angry kids don't plan on living past 30 and their idea of acceptable risk involves combining PCP, a pint of Old Kick Head, and 5 hits of blotter acid while bungie jumping. I've seen adorable house wives in huge SUV's on the highway involved in more high risk behavior than an Indy racer, yet totally oblivious to the fact going 70's mph on ice pack, even with all wheel drive, is suicidal.
There is a real event of personal growth and responsibility, and a real event of illusion and make believe. Picking your way between the BS and the real strength is all part of living.
It all beats the hell out of me. I think using my chainsaw more risky than a 18" Khuk, but I've both jump a little too close to a limb for comfort.
One thing I always admired Uncle Bill for was his Safety Thread was one of the largest threads in his forum.
munk
Something in the forum recently reminded me of Risk, and what we allowed and did not allow in our own lives. Many people see knives as 'high risk', and certainly firearms. Motorcycles, fast cars, bungie jumping, some forms of MT biking and skiing, free hand climbing, river rafting, back country hiking, large predator hunting....we've a long list.
I think a lot of the folks in knife and gun forums get a kick out of the percieved 'high risk'. Certainly, no one here. But we're aquainted with the Ninja wantabe's and SOF and various 'dream' scapes the individual paints for himself- and sometimes for others to see and hopefully 'admire'. There is ego involved with the percieved 'control' of high risk behavior. In a society where individual responsibility and decision making is quickly being degraded both by Govermental regs and cultural beliefs, this percieved control is gratifying to many.
There is a fascination with death in our society.
So many things of intrinsic interest include high risk. Knife making is not entirely safe, if you think about it, nor the operation of machinery. We take risks in many of our leisure pursuits, life hobbies, and careers. Crossing the street is risk, living in a large City, or proposing Intelligent Design if one is a non-tenured professor at an American University.
Sometimes the rewards of risk are much greater than the chance of failure. The individual makes these decisions.
What's all this mean? Not much. Just thinking out loud. Without risk our lives would be boring. To overcome risk requires a kind of super responsibility. When you handload ammo you are practising safe procedures- not unlike the extra attention of a provider in the medical field. Shooting safely makes for a stronger, better person, not so much because he may become a crack shot, but the presence, authority, and awareness he developed along the way.
Contrast this to intervening in the lock down adolescent ward of a Psych Unit, where the angry kids don't plan on living past 30 and their idea of acceptable risk involves combining PCP, a pint of Old Kick Head, and 5 hits of blotter acid while bungie jumping. I've seen adorable house wives in huge SUV's on the highway involved in more high risk behavior than an Indy racer, yet totally oblivious to the fact going 70's mph on ice pack, even with all wheel drive, is suicidal.
There is a real event of personal growth and responsibility, and a real event of illusion and make believe. Picking your way between the BS and the real strength is all part of living.
It all beats the hell out of me. I think using my chainsaw more risky than a 18" Khuk, but I've both jump a little too close to a limb for comfort.
One thing I always admired Uncle Bill for was his Safety Thread was one of the largest threads in his forum.
munk
