A few days ago, I watched a program on skywalking. Actually, I missed a great part of the program, but what I saw, was amazing. Today, I saw another program on skywalking on the Guiness show at AXN. Jay Cochrane, 54 years old (at the time of the record)
skywalked a distance of 600 feet, at a height of a 30 story building (according to the show). You think thats scary? Listen to this, he walked the whole distance blindfolded, without any sort of safety device - no nets, no ropes tied to his body, absolutely no chance of surviving in case something goes wrong. And a lot of things could go wrong - wind could affect his balance, the people who are supposed to hold the wire steady could make a mistake, the wire could get slippery due to moisture, a thousand things could go wrong. I was listening to a short interview of the man. Some of his answers:
I believe everyone has a time. When your time comes, noone can do anything about it. My time (of death) hasn’t just come, yet.
I may be crazy but I take calculated risks, I always wear my seat belt when I drive my car.
I want to be the most talked about skywalker in history.
Before becoming a professional skywalker, he was part of a circus team. He fell once, and was bed ridden for more than 2 years. Doctors told him he would never walk again. Not only did Jay walk again, he became one of the most successful skywalkers in history. Just have a look at his records, you’ll be stunned.
So what makes guys like Jay do what they do? Every step is filled with danger. Still, they love what they do and wont quit even for a million (or more) dollars. what makes them take such huge risks?
Photo Source: Jay’s Place
2 responses so far ↓
1 Jayanth // May 5, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Vijay, is death important or doing something different important, just asking you opinion, for me doing something is. And in the process of doing it I die, well atleast I tried. PS. please do not think I’m challenging something here, am just asking.
2 vijayr // May 6, 2006 at 1:58 am
I’m with you Jayanth, doing something meaningful and useful is far more important than worrying about death. Did you hear about David Blaine, he is attempting to beat the record for holding breath. Currently its 8 min and 58 seconds, he is attempting to cross 9 mins. While many people feel its a useless thing to do even if he succeeds, i support David. I was just wondering aloud the amazing motivation and confidence that these guys have, to attempt seemingly impossible (to me) feats. So yes, its better to attempt something (even if it fails) than not to do anything. I agree with you fully on this.
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