termite said:
Steady. Four people have had a very close shave and a boat is missing.
Whatever else your views on Alan are; at least he had the bollocks to have a go, not once but repeatly for over a decade.
T
Had to think carefully whether or not to post this, but here goes..
Right, now I’m going to go out on a limb. Please read what I am saying carefully before “flaming” me. Firstly, I wish to make it very clear that I am pleased that the crew of “Spirit” are alive and well and, from what I read, they had made every effort to be prepared for such an event.
My point is this; - Everyday, “ordinary”* people risk their lives and health just by going about their business. You only have to look at the list of “dangerous occupations” to see what risks these people take day in day out. You can include in this list those members of the emergency and rescue service who have to deal with this type of emergency. Alan and his crew chose to be where they were. I do not know whether or not this particular event was being done for charity or not, but the point remains the same. They chose to be there. It was not part of a job, it was not part of a rescue mission, it was not Government service, it was choice. The same choice I make when I set to sea in my own boat, or take the car out for a drive, or even walk the dog. If I run foul of events and end up in a situation where I need to rely on someone else to come to my rescue, how should I be regarded? If I am undertaking something that could not be considered as part of everyday living, how should I be considered by “the public” should I have need of outside assistance? If I have an “accident” whilst driving to work, with due care, or something as mundane as walking the dog, should I be considered differently? After all I am not choosing to put myself in harms way, the way I would be if I was undertaking something such as caving, skydiving or even playing rugby.
What I am getting at, in a round about sort of way is my questioning of why people heap praise on those taking unnecessary risks and yet, by and large, ignore those who risk their all for the benefit of others?
I am not against taking risks at all. I am a firm believer that society will benefit from the exploits of some people. Balance this with our strange ways of promoting to cult status, those people who are the sole beneficiaries of their own exploits and no, I am not saying this about the crew of Spirit, because I don’t know what the object of their journey was yet.
So, in your congratulations and thoughts for Alan and his crew, remember all those “ordinary”* people too…….
*Yes I know that sounds condescending, but I can’t think of an alternative way of expressing this.