We might stop diving

[Wookie]

No disrespect meant, but, how silly. Folks die every day diving or hiking or skydiving or sitting on the couch or in the saddle. Horseback riding! Get your mind out of the gutter. Anyway, are you going to stop living because the risks of living are overcoming your fear of death?

I made a decision at a relatively young age to live my life fully. I had a 6 figure job and a Tagamet prescription. I took 2 or 4 dive vacations per year and hated my job. Now, I make little enough to qualify for Obamacare, but I love my job. I love my life. I figured at that young age that if I made 40 I had won. Well, I beat my prediction by 10 years.

If I were to die tomorrow diving, I'd (be dead) be satisfied that I won the game.

 

[cb5150]

If it bugs you this much...then yeah, time to hang up the fins. Me personally, I can't think of a better way to go than doing something I love.

I used to be a street cop and from time to time I would have to respond to calls in nursing homes. I absolutely HATED those places, the smell of piss and death just permeated the entire building. The old folks with yellow, paper thin skin and hollow, lonely eyes moaning and groaning because their families just dumped them like an unwanted dog or cat. No thanks...not me.

Dying a safe, slow, lonely death...now THAT'S what frightens me!

Like Neil Young said, "Better to burn out than fade away."

RIP Quero. I didn't know you, but I know what you loved.

 

[mrfixitchapman]

My 2 PSI: When I made it to 30 my friends threw me a surprise birthday party. They were as surprised as I was that I made it that far. Literally half a lifetime ago. My collection of funeral leaflets is pretty thick, some disease, some accidents and a very few who were doing a thing that they enjoyed when the clock ran out. I know which way I want to live it out. Nobody made my mind up for me. Nobody but Bill is going to make up his mind.

DC

 

[Dr. Lecter]

You're born, and the hammer cocks: at some indeterminate point in the future, you will die.

How much of your life you want to spend/restrict/limit in an attempt to delay that outcome so you can enjoy other pleasures longer is something only you can decide. Good luck.

 

[boulderjohn]

And, as has been well-documented on these boards, the certification requirements are in drastic need of repair. Good courses depend too much on the instructor, and the certifications awarded do not relate to the skills required for the dives offered by the industry (case in point: AOW). And usually, no one fails a cert course (except Fundies as far as I know). I am a teacher myself – I know what happens when you have a system where no one fails!

As a teacher, are you familiar with Benjamin Bloom's theory of mastery learning, the theory on which modern scuba instruction is based? It does not appear as if you are, so please correct me if I am wrong.

There is a big difference between a system in which no one fails because anything they do is OK and a system in which no one fails because they have to keep working at it until they do it right, however long it takes.

You seem to be fixated on the first system, but scuba instruction is based on the second.

 

[GDI]

You know I lost my brother this year and one of the best things I did was celebrate his life by the very thing that he enjoyed (riding motorcycles). If/when I die I would hope that those who celebrate me remember that the activity which I enjoy the most is how I would want them to carry on doing, to me that is the greatest of honours.

You decide which you "need" to do but in the end celebrate the person in the best way you shared life with them

 

[mrfixitchapman]

As a teacher, are you familiar with Benjamin Bloom's theory of mastery learning, the theory on which modern scuba instruction is based? It does not appear as if you are, so please correct me if I am wrong.

There is a big difference between a system in which no one fails because anything they do is OK and a system in which no one fails because they have to keep working at it until they do it right, however long it takes.

You seem to be fixated on the first system, but scuba instruction is based on the second.

The coincidence, it is large with this one. I wrote my major project for my Adult Education degree based upon Bloom and PADI. I synthesized my teaching approach from this work, and I've been pretty successful in my field.


DC

 

[TMHeimer]

bill4sf, You've gotten a lot of responses in a short time, some of them being very predictable. It's just your decision and that's that. I guess I could play the statistics game and say I've been underwater now for just over 200 hours-what's that, 8 days? Next month I'm spending my usual 2 weeks up in the cabin in Northern Manitoba alone (too cold for wife). Heart attack and I'm done. But those and all the other statistics (even the ones you mention you couldn't find) probably don't mean squat. Doing something like limiting your dives to 10' viz or better certainly adds a safety factor and makes sense. The safer you make everything the better your chances of avoiding disaster.

 

[Tigerman]

About two weeks ago I lost somoene I knew littrally since before he was born (Im a few years older than he was). At the age of 26 he was killed in a gocart accident.
It hurts like a bitch and it scare me that it could have been any one of the people I grew up with.
We've all done the same seriously dangerous, yet oh so funny **** that he did and that in the end cost him his life.

Thing is I know I have to get over it and move on and I know he wouldn't want peoples lives to stop because of what happened. He might want us not to drive those goacarts on the roads though..

 

[Kronek]

Could someone please link me to any information about this Querio person? Not to sound harsh but the name keeps popping up and I can't find the thread in Accidents