Risk in Life

[Hellgate]

So the crit thread is locked however I feel we've not explored the risk question.

I think what was missed is people have different tolerance of risk.

Me? I've raced bicycles, road raced motorcycles, ski raced, rock climbed and served in the military for 20 years, being actvated 8 times, three of which for shooting wars as an Infantryman.

Clearly for some people here this is not for them, however, it's not their place to judge others who are comfortable with the risk and have families that support them.

If one isn't comfortable with a preceived that's fine as what fits for one person many not fit another.

[FlashUNC]

None of us get out of here alive.

[kmla320]

I salute you as a combat Infantryman!!

[witcombusa]

A person can certainly take whatever risks they feel comfortable with. However
if they are to take on a wife and/or family it stops being just about them. The responsibilities they then have takes president over their own selfish wants. If they are not prepared to take that on they have no business with a wife/family.

Every time I real the classic "they died doing what they loved" and leave behind a wife and three children, all I can do is shake my head.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

So the crit thread is locked however I feel we've not explored the risk question.

I think what was missed is people have different tolerance of risk.

Me? I've raced bicycles, road raced motorcycles, ski raced, rock climbed and served in the military for 20 years, being activated 8 times, three of which for shooting wars as an Infantryman.

Clearly for some people here this is not for them, however, it's not their place to judge others who are comfortable with the risk and have families that support them.

If one isn't comfortable with a preceived that's fine as what fits for one person many not fit another.

What he said..As I mentioned before, you can 'what if' yourself out of ANYTHING..even things that are great fun or of a higher calling-Thank YOU for your service...

The responsibilities they then have takes precedent over their own selfish wants.

Sorry, for the OP, who chooses to serve in a VERY dangerous environment..NOT 'selfish' at all, poor choice of words for a person who chooses to be in the military and then volunteer to be in a VERY dangerous environment. ..BUT wives/families come in different 'flavors' as well..some deal with a family member doing something VERY dangerous, well, some don't. My wife, did...some other wives, did not...

Every time I real the classic "they died doing what they loved" and leave behind a wife and three children, all I can do is shake my head.

Don't want to make this into an argument and don't know your history..but those who choose to serve, and 'most' have families..yup, not a 'normal' lifestyle to train to 'kill people and break things' and then perhaps DO that, hard to explain and not some sort of high ideal, these people who serve aren't 'better' than anybody..but I certainly don't 'shake my head'....

In addition...NOBODY knows how awful war fighting is more than those who choose to do it.

If you are referring to somebody in a 'sport', like auto racing and not the OP who talks about serving as an infantry soldier, I apologize...

OUT

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

So the crit thread is locked however I feel we've not explored the risk question.

I think what was missed is people have different tolerance of risk.

Me? I've raced bicycles, road raced motorcycles, ski raced, rock climbed and served in the military for 20 years, being actvated 8 times, three of which for shooting wars as an Infantryman.

For any of those activities, you've got to get trained in a way that takes you to your threshold but not over it. If you're paying attention, the training becomes automatic so that when you see something in the real situation, you know what to do. I only started racing last year, and my season starts again in two weeks. Prior to racing, I was trained in group riding: pacelining, pulling, pulling off, listening to people in front of and behind you, and paying attention to the group. The racing club I'm in does free on-bike workshops on safety, group sprinting, and other relevant topics.

On 4 July, I went and did a local early morning race. It was a great day, but the sprinklers had been turned on making the edges of the course damp. I was riding 3rd wheel, the guy in 1st came through a chicane with a nail in his wheel and went down hard. I think the whole peloton went right around him without an issue. On the next lap, the now-different 1st wheel cut it too close on the chicane, caught his pedal and went teakettles over coffee beans into a barrel roll, landing on his knee and hip. At that point, we all swerved, I lost my position, went to the back, and was gassed. The thing that went through my head was, "Why are you doing this?" The barrel-roll guy picked him self up, sprinted back to the front, and went on to win. I finished about a half lap down in 11th ... no biggie. I'm out there to learn in Cat 5.

I saw barrel roll guy hosing down his wounds after the race with a water bottle. Sure, he won, but he also lost skin in Cat 5, and probably had a rough holiday afterward. Was it worth it? Not to me, but I can't speak to him.

That was a learning experience, though. You see the thing happen, and you learn to avoid it. That's what the lower Cats are about. Is Crit racing inherently dangerous? Absolutely not, if you're paying attention.

FWIW, I used to do a lot of skiing, and when the mountain wants to take you for a ride, it will do it harder than any bike crash. Those crashes hurt.

I never had a problem rock climbing. Again, if you're paying attention, the chances of failure are pretty low. It just looks sketchy.

[Skenry]

I don't know about tolerance of risk, I would just say that risk is all that matters. You can't really value life until you know it's worth. You learn life's worth when you risk it.

It's the reason people skydive, the exhilaration of feeling like you'll die, but then living. Risk. The 'view' is usually way down on the list of reasons people take the jump. Just like a kid on a rollercoaster, it's facing a fear (risk). People don't usually remember the timid because they never really lived. The timid let their fears and limitations live their lives.

Take the risk, take the ride, it's worth it. When you are an old man, you will look back and know what you have done. For many, they will look back and know what they didn't even try.