The other day I was watching a special edition of Man v. Wild, where Bear Grylls, the popular host of the show, decides to take on the challenge of being the first person to paraglide over Mount Everest. Yes, Everest! We are talking 30,000 feet above sea level, very little oxygen, and temperatures at 40 below zero!
There are a lot of adventure programs on TV these days, but what struck me about the show was when they interviewed his wife, and she said that the thought of having her husband gliding above Everest filled her with "horror." Cut away to Bear's two adorable little boys, who stayed home with mom while Bear went off on his adventure.
I am pretty sure that when Bear goes off to work both he and his wife want to make sure that he makes it home so that he can be a Dad to his two boys. As Bear puts it: "There is no use in being a dead hero to my two boys." His thoughts aren't something that most parents think about with respect to their work, but certainly something to think about if your work includes paragliding over Everest.
If you have young children, should you not do dangerous things? If you were to die doing something that you loved, but your children were deprived of having a father (or mother), did you make the right decision?
Former members of the British special forces aren't the only ones who have to ask themselves these questions.
A few years back my brother, who had a baby and a toddler at the time, was asked by a navy pilot training instructor to take a spin in his fighter plane. When he told our parents that he wanted to do it, the first thing my Mom asked was "Do you have life insurance?", and my Dad (a former WWII fighter pilot) asked "Do you have a will?" and "Are you sure you really want to do that? You have to think about your kids."
In the end, of course, Bear succeeded in paragliding over Everest, and my brother went up in the plane, with his wife videotaping the whole experience. My brother and his wife were glad he did it, and I am sure that Bear (and the television crew) were glad that he didn't give up on his goal.
Despite all our efforts to make life safe, there is risk, and if you are lucky enough to have a passion for something in life, there is something to be said for not giving up on it--even if it is risky, and even if you have children.
Here's my solution: continue to do things that might be risky (so long as you have a passion for it and a high level of skill) but reconsider doing something that is foolhardy. For example, I would be foolhardy to try anything that Bear does. I don't have a passion for these kind of high adventure activities (although I do love hiking), and I certainly don't have any particular survival skills. So, is Bear being foolhardy? I don't think so. He has a high degree of both passion and skill.
Likewise, I am glad that my brother took the flight on the navy jet. After all, an incredibly experienced pilot was in charge. On the other hand, if my brother had been the pilot, that certainly would have been foolhardy!
~ Kirsten Izatt
