open wheel motor car racing is very dangerous, perhaps even more so than being on a motorcycle at speed.
but, then again, so is flying a fighter aircraft, or racing old wwii fighters, or riding in the space shuttle.
it is also exhilarating, i should imagine, given my own experience at far less dangerous things.
and, climbing mountains, or free rock climbing, or climbing frozen water falls in winter, or any number of other things.
i should like to remind you of some things far less glamorous that are exceedingly dangerous, as well. it is very dangerous being an electrical lineman, and fishing is a very dangerous occupation in which the exposure to danger is constant every second on the water, and being involved in the construction trades is exceedingly dangerous. need we mention the danger of violent death undertaken by police officers and firemen every day on the job.
or, the risk undertaken by those soldiers who protect us.
and, finally, the point of all of this.--
in most of the world, opening ones mouth to express an opinion contrary to that which is accepted by the regime is power, or an opinion contrary to a dominate religious viewpoint, especially should it be islam, is very dangerous, indeed, and when certain thresholds are crossed, almost always very fatal, and sometimes quite gruesome. see islam. i should imagine no exhilaration at all in torture, or the most brutally inflicted death.
in those places where free speech still prevails, it should be a very cautioning & sobering reminder, ... , as against the backdrop of those threats to free expression, e.g., in the united states, those efforts to curb gun ownership, and those efforts to regulate discussion on the internet, ... , that such ability to speak ones mind was secured by blood, battle and the recourse to arms and edged weapons.
it is a world full of risks, and risk defines the parameters of all human activity. and, many die protecting and upholding our values without fanfare and with little note. excepting of course, the pope of the catholics, the father of the orthodox and the arch bishop of the anglicans, all of whom remain safe and sound in their mink and ermines and velvets in their little sinecures far removed, physically and spiritually from their flock who suffer death and persecution at the hands of islam in the middle east and the pacific islands: they will answer to god for their cowardice, and that is my faith.
but, back on topic. quite literally, we pay with our lives for all our activities, all our passions & appetites, and all our beliefs.
good bye, daniel wheldon, you were a bright and shining beacon, a reminder of the rewards and perils of bravery.
john jay @ 10.17.2011
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