Many people now undertake extreme activities, from hang-gliding to mountain climbing. Why do people risk their lives in this way, and do you think this is a good trend? Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Recently, I was disturbed to read of a prominent* female cave diver, who drowned upon becoming disoriented deep in a labyrinthine cave system in South Australia.

Such

sad events inevitably raise the question of why people dice with death in extreme activities. After giving one reason, I will argue, perhaps surprisingly, that it is a good trend. The main incentive* for

this

high-risk recreation is the challenge it provides, often seen as one of the core purposes of being alive. The feeling for the human psyche of defying the odds, conquering that fear, or seeing sights never seen before must be extremely gratifying, if not totally rejuvenating, and clearly irresistible to many. Whether hang-gliding, parasailing, or scaling formidable cliff faces, the weekend thrill seekers are merely following an innate urge to live life

by‘cheating

Suggestion

by cheating

by‘ cheating

death’. I would say

this

is a good trend, since

such

activities generate revenue for a wide range of commercial enterprises. These, in turn, provide legitimate* livelihoods and direct economic benefit

to

Suggestion

of

countries. Nepal is a good example, depending heavily on the ambitions of both professional mountaineers and dedicated amateurs to summit the notoriously dangerous Mount Everest. Apart from exorbitant climbing fees,

this

provides employment to hundreds of Sherpa porters and guides. Few could begrudge them

this

ready-made opportunity. Lest I be accused of cynicism, another reason these activities are good is the release they offer from that pressure and banality of life. Most members of modern society are confined to safe and predictable paths, essentially divorced from the natural world. They necessarily lead Thoreau’s ‘lives of quiet desperation’, since

money

Suggestion

the money

must be

earnt

gained or acquired; especially through merit or as a result of effort or action

earned

learnt

earnest

, mortgages met, and children raised. Any escape from

this

mundane existence,

however

short-lived or transitory, must leave people more fulfilled and content, and a society composed of

such

individuals is ultimately a better one.