Staring Down Death

[TonyG]

Have you ever stared death in the face and challenged it? Run across the path of a car, cut off a big rig on the road, dashed across the tracks in front of a train, took too many pills, bagged your head, jumped from a three story building, walked down a bad neighborhood at night...etc?

Someone told me last night they have done these things several times and that it was a great high. This morning I realized that I should have asked if it solved anything for them.

So, if you have stared down death, was it a high and why? Did it solve anything for you?

 

[Ambrosious]

tony_gam

I have looked at several of your "Maxim" threads with interest. Does this count?

 

[Ally C]

It's rude to stare ...

... and I'd find it a bit unsettling staring at a skeleton dressed in a dark robe and holding a scythe anyway. No doubt death will come and stare us all in the face at some point. Until that day I'll stare at the BB and ignore the health warnings on my cigarette packet.

 

[Expertise]

Yes I have.

No it didn't.Nor was it meant to.

1.The irony is that now instead of getting paid to do it, I have to pay to experience something approaching the same level of adrenal overload.

2.The weird thing about it is that death really doesn't frighten me anymore. I mean whats to be scared of, your dead. What scares me, what I truly find frightening, is not feeling alive.

3.The rush now comes from the fear of a debilitating but non-lethal injury.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I told the StudMuffin to fuck off and die once. I have it tattooed on the inside of my brain not to do it again without having the bullet speeding on its way already. It wasn't pretty. I saw my entire life flash before my eyes and it was distracting. Remarkably, I escaped unscathed, barely.

 

[DarlingBri]

Never on purpose. I don't think jumping out of a plane with a parachute counts. That's not facing death, that's facing fear. I think even auto-erotic strangulation is facing fear: the fear of the ultimate let go.

I was in a DC10 that crashed over Kansas in the '80s.

I've drawn a loaded weapon on an intruder and been prepared to shoot to defend a small child in the house.

At a very disturbed point in my life I had a bottle of pills in one hand and a glass of water in another.

So, that's three times I've faced death, mine or someone elses, and it's not a rush if you're really facing it. It's an *extremely* calm acceptance of death. At least for me.

--Bri

 

[nitengale]

yes...on the Lehigh Valley River in Pa, after a major storm....the river was swollen and current high...my canoe and I hit a rock head on...the canoe bent in half around my foot...I was glad there were no sharks.

I learned to ask for an itinerary from my then boyfriend.

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

Yes.

Been shot at - girls father - 3 in the morning - me coming out of her window. Was not hit. Never found out it was I.

Bad solo car crash - hopped up Camaro - bridge abutment about 110+ - I walked away with bruises - passenger 2 never walked right again, spiral fracture/powderded knee-cap - driver (a very good friend) lost his head (at least the front side) and flew 140ft out of the car. The car? Nothing really left - motor 100ft away, alone - no wheels/tires, no front end. I flagged down motorists. Medics did not initially was in the car. No seat belt worn.

Topping an 80ft pine tree - de-branched for use as an antennae mast - perched on a stupid deer hunting platform - the top went too early - I knew what was about to happen - I threw the chain say out and away - and held on with all limbs and tight ass I could - when she kicked my bare chest, bare legs and face took the brunt - wiggling back and forth, shakin' my insides and scratchin' the shit out of my skin - my vision was blurred and I was weak - but after a while I found the now rattle down the tree trunk deer platform and righted it with my feet - I rested there for a half hour until I regained enough composure and strength to work down the rest of the way.

In my late teens I robbed houses - we cased'em pretty good before goin' in - noboby we ever there - except once. Our plan was to "go insane" - yell like banshees - throwing off our surprized home owners and run like hell. This worked but it was not fun. Eventually got caught and charged with 26 humble obode B&E's (this was bullshit, we actually did about 8) - but there was never enough evidnece to even go to tril - I went Nul Pros (spelling there?) and never did anything bad again. Except rape, pillage, plunder and smoke dope.

When a Jar Head at Lejune for CIT - I got bored, left my hole against orders - I took a dump on a road and nearly got run over by a fleet of Amvibes. Then trying to make my way back and being very stealth-like, a just returned from Country (fuckin' whacko) Forced Recon came upon me but did not see me - he crouched 3ft from me and reloaded his 16 - I had the mother fucker - but we weren't using real ammo - and I surely didn't want to hand fight the fucker - so he moved on.

In Marine Corp brig I led a small riot Christmas day 1974 - the squids worked me voer and put me up in Deuce Block (solitary) for 2 weeks. No nothing - boxers is all - cold, damp. Happy fucking New Year. I liked it.

Today I'm an upstanding citizen with a fine job, a wife, 3 boys. Living in Manhattan and loving it.

I like it too.