I have a theory on why people like Alex Honnald (above) and Dean Potter (bottom) free solo and participate in other dangerous, life threatening activities....
I think it is human nature, some more so than others of course, to want to taunt death and live so close to the edge of death that you are overwhelmed with nothing but the desire to live. In that brief moment that you feel death brush your shoulder, it doesn't matter what we've gone through or what we're going through in our lives, we realize then that nothing is bad enough to not want to still be here if only to experience it. It no longer becomes a matter of labeling and classifying one experience bad and another good, you become appreciative of the fact that you are still around to experience something, to experience life. There is no good or bad experience except that which we make in our own minds, but it's not that easy in our modern world. It has become increasingly difficult to not worry and be happy no matter how many times you listen to Bobby McFerrin's "don't worry be happy".
So here's the problem: we have gone so far away from our primitive human existence of survival that we have become spoiled and desensitized to the very fear of death that keeps us alive and gives us the motivation to want to live. And not just live, but live passionately. The human existence is no longer even referred to as an existence but is now more commonly referred to as "the human condition". We have become miserable creatures because of the fact that we are self conscious. Not self conscious in the self image connotation but self conscious in the sense that we are aware and conscious of our own being. We accept the modern world as the environment that we inherited when we were born into it, but we are all well aware of the negative impact our modern life has had on the earth, our own health and society.
Young generations get their ears guaged or get tribal tattoos to make them feel a part of something that we've been missing for a long time. There is no tribe nowadays. Our sense of community continues to deteriorate the more we tune in to the news and are witness to the murderors and pedophiles. Most people living in our society could probably name more serial killers than nobel peace prize recipiants.
People live for themselves, and if they are helping others, it is with the understanding that it will ultimately come back to them, even if it's just the belief of karma. Not because they're selfish neccessarily, but because that is how our society works. We are all trying desperately to stay afloat and get on top of the ups and downs of our capitilist country. In some instances this might even mean resorting to criminal activity. But criminals have their place in our culture and provide jobs for the media, lawyers, police, penitentury, court system, etc. There is a huge demand for criminals in our society and we actually depend on them and promote their fear provoking acts through the media. There might as well be a craiglist job posting for:
WANTED: Amatuer Criminal
Must be willing to break the law and be brought to justice. Very little experience needed.
Pay: Full room and board, meals, and structured living with no responsibility.
We spend more money than we earn to fit into the infrastructure providing jobs for others, then we borrow money from the bank with good intention to pay it back before the interest gets too high. But life continues to unfold and you are forced to improvise those plans. You get a flat tire, a speeding ticket, laid off of your job, have a child, and end up falling deeper and deeper in debt unable to pay the interest let alone pay off the principal.
We expect modern medicine to keep us alive while we get stuck in the 9-5 hustle and bustle of a 40+ hour work week, completely neglecting our health. We become overly stressed from the day to day repetitiveness of our lives and the fact that we have responsibilities and obligations that prevent us and even cause us to forget about what we actually want to do with our lives. We live in the same place for years without really getting to know our neighbors and establishing a relationship with them. And we work until we are too old to play, with the hope that we will be entitled to some kind of retirement fund.
I have heard many times before in psychology that suicide is a normal and often a reoccuring thought for humans, not the thought to go through with it per se, but just in contemplation of an easy escape from the struggle, or to question the impact of our death. For an adrenaline junkie, it is not about questioning death. The adrenaline junkie has already accepted death as an imminent threat and ultimately something that is inevitable. The adrenaline junkie evaluates what is important and pursues the question of life..."what can I accomplish in the short time that I am here."
The play it safe type look at people that live and risk death for their passions as crazy, but in reality we risk death every time we get inside our vehicle, everytime we consume substances like alcohol, ciggarettes and artery clogging trans fatty acids, and everytime we play outside in a lightening storm (as crazy as it sounds this is common during Arizona monsoon season). To not risk your life is crazy, if there is no risk of death, you are not alive.
This is not an endorsement to go crazy and live a dangerous renagade lifestyle, but an endorsement to accept the fact that we will die sooner or later, so you might as well live a little. Overcome your fears, do something nobody would ever imagine you doing, including yourself! Express yourself through art. Regain your health and your priorities. Love one another, hug a stranger, kiss a friend. Do something everyday to distract yourself from the stresses of life whether it be meditation or skydiving. Enjoy your life to the fullest, because if you don't right now in this moment, one of these days you wont get another chance...
"To me it's really, it's so simple... that life should be lived on the edge of life. you have to exercise rebellion. to refuse to taper yourself to rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. and then you are going to live your life on the tightrope." -Phillipe Petit
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