JustASC

Interesting perspective on The Hurt Locker and thrill-seeking at Aish.com:

The desire that drives Sergeant James [to re-up for dangerous war-time duty] is what pushes some of us to jump out of planes at 10,000 feet with only a parachute strapped to our backs. For some reason we don’t feel alive “enough” and want to confront death to give us a renewed sense of appreciation for life.

Do we have to risk our lives to feel alive? Is there no other way? And I wonder if this is a modern phenomenon. Did people in the Middle Ages jump off the roofs of castles to get a rush? I’m betting they didn’t.

I’m no expert, but if I think a lot of this has to do with knowing what you are willing to die for. If you’re plugged into meaning in your day-to-day life, striving to accomplish important things that carry consequences, with a mission to fulfill — I doubt you’re going to risk all that for some life endangering sport. Knowing what you’re willing to die for puts the focus on what really matters in life. And as Rabbi Noah Weinberg, of blessed memory, often said, don’t just die for it – live for it!

Good question, interesting answer, but let’s not forget the difference between a daredevil and a soldier whose risky behavior is in the service of keeping others alive.

There’s a big difference between joining a bomb squad and jumping out of an airplane when you otherwise don’t have to — I for one thank God that there are people willing to do the former, whatever their motivation. I think a sapper like Sgt. James knows better than most what it is “to accomplish important things that carry consequences.”