Genius or Stupidity?

I saw the following article and was immediately "I want to do that!"

Oregon man takes lawn chair up to 13,000 feet, travels 193 miles

So the question then, is this guy a genius or a fool? Is it crazy to risk one's life like this man did? And what about his wife, was it crazy for her to give her blessing to it? Some say that life is risky enough without pulling these kind of stunts. Or is it risky not every risk anything and live a long, peaceful, and boring life?

There is something thrilling about consciously risking one's life. I can think of being at the top of a hill on my mountain bike, looking down, and thinking, "yes, this could seriously maim or kill me." To consciously choose to do something that has the potential for great harm can enliven my spirit like nothing else!


And yet, there is the other side. What about family and friends who love you and depend on you? Is it fair to them? I often think of professional ice and mountain climbers (who's life expectancy is way below the average man or woman's). It seems to me like they are taking inordinate amounts of risk upon themselves. To me, without a noble goal in mind, these seems a little foolhardy.

So I guess my personal philosophy is to make sure I risk life and limb occasionally (to remind myself that I'm alive and what's important) but to not endanger myself needlessly the majority of the time. Think of it as "risk-lite." For my family, I need to be both a person of relative wisdom (to make the most out of life) and daring (to inspire myself and others).



May Light increase!