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Ugly Bastard · 11-22-2003, 04:34 AM

Stdx-

I know you probably didn't want this big/thorough of a reply, but this is an answer I care passionately about, so you're getting my finest.

You have posed a question I was pretty sure would come eventually: If I'm against drinking alcohol, because it could kill me, then why would I want to jump out of a plane too?

Firstly, let me dawn you with some statistics to brush aside the common stereotypes of skydiving:

One in every 110,000 skydives, the participant dies. That's basically like winning the lottery. Almost all of the people who die from skydiving die because they did something stupid, not because "they're chute didn't open". In order to die because your "chute didn't open", you would have to have something go wrong with your main chute, cutaway to your reserve chute, and have that not open. The odds of a chute just "not opening" altogether are about 1 in 50,000. So you would have to hit 1 in 50,000 two times before you found yourself in a helpless position.

Most people die in skydiving because they do something stupid such as turn too low (if you make any drastic turns under 200 feet, you parachute will spin you into the ground at a very high rate of speed...the people who make these mistakes are hot-heads who are trying to show off). Basically, if you don't do anything dumb, it is nearly impossible to die from skydiving based on pure accident. You probably have a better chance dying while playing basketball because of a heart attack, than you do while skydiving.

____

Now, with all that being said, let me answer your question more from my heart than my mind:

If I were to ever die skydiving, I would consider myself one of the luckiest people alive today. To me, there is no better way to go, than to do it while you were doing something you love. You'll be remembered by it forever.

Let's take a look at how much fun each activity is.

Skydiving:

You get the sensation of flying...most people think it's just falling, but in reality, you can travel up to two miles horizonally during a 60 second freefall.
You get to live before you die. The highlight of some people's lives is sadly something like "watching the Giants win the 1942 pennant" or "marrying my wife". That's great if that's your thing, but I'd rather die being able to say that the highlight of my life was skydiving. When I'm hanging up there under a parachute...it's like I'm closer to heaven, it's hard to explain.
Your life is never the same after you do something like skydive. Everything you will ever do for the rest of your life will seem like a piece of cake...if you can jump out of a plane, then you can walk up and talk to this girl, etc, etc, etc. It increases your self-confidence by an incredible sum. Elanor Roosevelt once said, "we gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."

I could go on forever there, but you get the point.
Alcohol:

It makes you partially lose control of yourself, and your actions. Which to some, is a nice sensation...I'm a control freak, so it's not a sensation for me.
It might help you get laid by someone who would not normally have sex with you.
You might have a really good time at a party, and make a lot of drinking buddies.
You might wake up the next morning and not remember anything of the "fun" you had the night before.
You might get arrested for public intoxication, contributing to a minor's intoxication, driving while under the influence of alcohol, or public disturbance.
You might become dependant on alcohol and lose your job, family, and friends. (I've watched it happen to my uncle).
You might decide to drive your car in your clouded state, and kill a family of four on their way to church early Sunday morning.
You might decide to do something that you would not have done if you were sober, then have the regret of your actions to live with.
You might decide to drive your car in your clouded state, and kill yourself.

To me, comparing with drinking alcohol with skydiving is bogus. If you told me right this second that I will die at the age of 25 while skydiving, I wouldn't flinch a muscle...if it's my time to go, then what better way could I go? If you were to tell me right this second that I will die at the age of 25 because a drunk driver will hit me in a head-on collision...I'd probably cry myself to sleep tonight...that's not how I want to die.
There is a saying, "All people who live, die. But, not all people who die have lived." People who die from alcohol never lived. People who die while skydiving understand the beauty and wonder of this world more than any other group of people. A skydiver once said, "we who fly do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet."

-Ugly Bastard

11-22-2003, 04:34 AM	#43 (permalink)
Ugly Bastard Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 13,643 Internets: 247330	Stdx- I know you probably didn't want this big/thorough of a reply, but this is an answer I care passionately about, so you're getting my finest. You have posed a question I was pretty sure would come eventually: If I'm against drinking alcohol, because it could kill me, then why would I want to jump out of a plane too? Firstly, let me dawn you with some statistics to brush aside the common stereotypes of skydiving: One in every 110,000 skydives, the participant dies. That's basically like winning the lottery. Almost all of the people who die from skydiving die because they did something stupid, not because "they're chute didn't open". In order to die because your "chute didn't open", you would have to have something go wrong with your main chute, cutaway to your reserve chute, and have that not open. The odds of a chute just "not opening" altogether are about 1 in 50,000. So you would have to hit 1 in 50,000 two times before you found yourself in a helpless position. Most people die in skydiving because they do something stupid such as turn too low (if you make any drastic turns under 200 feet, you parachute will spin you into the ground at a very high rate of speed...the people who make these mistakes are hot-heads who are trying to show off). Basically, if you don't do anything dumb, it is nearly impossible to die from skydiving based on pure accident. You probably have a better chance dying while playing basketball because of a heart attack, than you do while skydiving. ____ Now, with all that being said, let me answer your question more from my heart than my mind: If I were to ever die skydiving, I would consider myself one of the luckiest people alive today. To me, there is no better way to go, than to do it while you were doing something you love. You'll be remembered by it forever. Let's take a look at how much fun each activity is. Skydiving: </font> You get the sensation of flying...most people think it's just falling, but in reality, you can travel up to two miles horizonally during a 60 second freefall.</font> You get to live before you die. The highlight of some people's lives is sadly something like "watching the Giants win the 1942 pennant" or "marrying my wife". That's great if that's your thing, but I'd rather die being able to say that the highlight of my life was skydiving. When I'm hanging up there under a parachute...it's like I'm closer to heaven, it's hard to explain.</font> Your life is never the same after you do something like skydive. Everything you will ever do for the rest of your life will seem like a piece of cake...if you can jump out of a plane, then you can walk up and talk to this girl, etc, etc, etc. It increases your self-confidence by an incredible sum. Elanor Roosevelt once said, "we gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."</font> I could go on forever there, but you get the point. Alcohol: </font> It makes you partially lose control of yourself, and your actions. Which to some, is a nice sensation...I'm a control freak, so it's not a sensation for me.</font> It might help you get laid by someone who would not normally have sex with you.</font> You might have a really good time at a party, and make a lot of drinking buddies.</font> You might wake up the next morning and not remember anything of the "fun" you had the night before.</font> You might get arrested for public intoxication, contributing to a minor's intoxication, driving while under the influence of alcohol, or public disturbance.</font> You might become dependant on alcohol and lose your job, family, and friends. (I've watched it happen to my uncle).</font> You might decide to drive your car in your clouded state, and kill a family of four on their way to church early Sunday morning.</font> You might decide to do something that you would not have done if you were sober, then have the regret of your actions to live with.</font> You might decide to drive your car in your clouded state, and kill yourself.</font> To me, comparing with drinking alcohol with skydiving is bogus. If you told me right this second that I will die at the age of 25 while skydiving, I wouldn't flinch a muscle...if it's my time to go, then what better way could I go? If you were to tell me right this second that I will die at the age of 25 because a drunk driver will hit me in a head-on collision...I'd probably cry myself to sleep tonight...that's not how I want to die. There is a saying, "All people who live, die. But, not all people who die have lived." People who die from alcohol never lived. People who die while skydiving understand the beauty and wonder of this world more than any other group of people. A skydiver once said, "we who fly do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet." -Ugly Bastard