Crazy or Crazy Fun?

A couple of years ago a buddy of mine introduced me to an activity referred to as cliff jumping. It's as self explanatory as titles can get, but for those wondering it does indeed involve jumping off of cliffs. It started out with small cliffs, about 15-20 feet above the water. All things considered that isn't really that high, but the first time it's pretty scary; therein lies the appeal. More of my friends began doing it and before long were were going cliff jumping on almost a weekly basis. Just like any other addiction, adrenaline rushes require bigger, badder doses as you become accustomed to them. Therefore, as always happens, what started as15 feet climbed higher and higher, until we were jumping off of cliffs around 50 feet high with little hesitation. At one of our favorite spots is the "76 Footer" which causes multiple injuries every summer, some quite serious. I haven't attempted this jump yet, but I'm thinking about it. Bigger, higher, faster, longer. Such is the nature of cliff jumping.

I love cliff jumping for a few different reasons, but mainly because it allows me to be outside and swim, while at the same time scaring the shit out of me just a little bit. If it happens to be the first time I'm jumping a new cliff it actually scares the shit out of me a lot. But that's what I love about it. To some people 50 feet might not sound all that high. To some (like my family) it sounds like suicide. This dichotomy is essentially the point I'm headed towards. When you're standing on a rocky outcrop 50 feet above the water a lot goes through your mind. Most of these things revolve around the injuries you could potentially sustain if you were to, I don't know, land on your head somehow. As a guy you're also thinking about the other guys already in the water below taunting you if you back out. The one thing that enters everybody's head is a single question: Why did I step up to this ledge in the first place?

Everyone will have a different answer to that question. Maybe some of them were pressured there by friends, or tricked into a path where jumping was the only way down. But I think most people are there because they want to know something about themselves. Fear isn't something you need to stand on top of a cliff to find, it's all around us. Perhaps you're afraid of crashing every time you get on a plane, or of failing when your boss trusts you with a major project. It could be as simple as being afraid of approaching a girl at a bar or standing up to a jerk. We all have fears which we repeatedly concede to for one reason or another. I believe the reason most people willingly walk to the edge of a tall cliff to jump is that they want to know if they can stare into the abyss and give fear the finger. Of course you don't have to jump off a cliff to find out, but it certainly simplifies the equation. It's just you, the cliff and the water below you; the fear is tangible and identifiable. The cliff cannot be reasoned with to avoid confrontation, it cannot be intimidated or dissuaded. It isn't going to disappear if you procrastinate and it will never find pity on you. The act of cliff jumping is almost perfect for the confrontation of fear because almost no effort whatsoever is required of you. All you really have to do is take a single step and gravity will perform her duty perfectly for you. If you are standing on that cliff you certainly possess the ability to take the step and fall towards the water, but something holds you back. THAT is fear. When you look down at the water below and contemplate the jump you can damn near see fear's face, feel fear's hand against your chest, hear fear's voice whisper in your ear. In day to day life fear is obscured by many things, but on the cliff it's just the two of you, both equally exposed.

Those of us who jump understand that, we appreciate the ability to put ourselves in a situation where we can tackle fear head-on. If you give in to fear at that moment there are no excuses or justifications; fear won a victory over you. But if you can swallow hard and take that one step you can tell fear to go to hell the whole way down. Those who think we're crazy for doing this might say our victory was inconsequential, that nothing was actually gained by the dangerous jump. I wholeheartedly disagree. I would invite those people to try it, to experience the freedom and exhilaration that accompany a jump. Furthermore I contend that small, personal victories over fear lay the foundation for larger, more vital victories in the future. Ostensibly the jump may not have accomplished much, but perhaps it will teach you how to tap into your courage when necessary. Overcoming fear empowers you to do other things and it's a lesson not quickly forgotten. So this week get your ass out there and purposely terrify yourself. Just do something that scares you. Jump off a cliff, go mountain biking, go white water rafting, try a scary ride at an amusement park. Confront your mortality and put fear in its place. You might just learn to like it. After someone jumps off a cliff for the first time and their head comes up from underwater they either laugh or scream a war-cry of elation. And they smile. Every damn time, it's a certainty. That smile is fear losing its grip on them.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
-Anais Nin