Adventurist Dean Potter and fellow cliff jumper were killed May 16 attempting a wing-suited flight in Yosemite National Park. (Tomas Ovalle, The Associated Press file)
Re: “Why do we glorify thrill-seekers like Dean Potter?,” May 20 Colorado Voices column.
Although I agree with Annie Dawid, in that I hate to see people die doing thrill-seeking activities, it is important to look back in time at other people who were called fools for doing what they loved.
Amelia Earhart disappeared during her attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Previously, she successfully flew over the Atlantic, the first female pilot to dare to do that feat. She paved the way for women to fly.
What about the early astronauts? Their danger-filled exploration helped us discover so much about the cosmos.
For some people, there is a need to quest. My family includes quite a few thrill-seekers. My father, who helped map Antarctica in the early 1960s, has a mountain and a glacier there named after him.
We need to follow our dreams. If we die doing what we love (surfing, skiing, deep-sea diving, flying, etc.), then we die much more happily than if we died sitting in easy chairs while watching TV.
Dixie J-Elder, Longmont
This letter was published in the May 23 edition.
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