fookisan
Guest
The Last Dive a book by Bernie Chowdhury - should be read by anyone that has an interest in diving. In one word this book was RIVETING - I could not put it down the first time I read it. Periodically I also listen to it via books on tape from my library while driving on trips as the importance of the lessons learned in this book are easy to forget when ego drives one's decisions. The books discusses all sorts of diving and the deaths and accidents that followed when one diving is ego driven instead of diving with a rational mind.
When judgments have to be made, mistakes can and will happen and the best we can do is give it an honest effort with rational thought. The ancient Greek philosophers knew that when passion rules the mind, that the only job left for reason is that of the subservient task to find cleaver ways to satisfy the passions. They called it "putting passion before reason."
There are 3 Components of Rationality to be mindful of:
1 - Rationality requires reflection.
Many of us are too busy to reflect. Other times our minds our consumed with troubles and out of control passions. Over thinking also plays a part in keeping our minds working in the wrong direction. An old Buddhist saying tells us that a constantly busy mind cannot heal itself. Reflection time must be 'open thinking' time where we look at all ends of the spectrum of answers and choices and not just the comfortable one we are accustomed to. We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that we used when we created them. Psychologist William James once said, "A great many people believe they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."
2- Rationality is the ability to anticipate consequences.
Reflection pays big part in this as well as past experiences and the process of extrapolation from past experiences and others mistakes. Weighing and balancing are two key words that come into play. Sometimes 'gambling' is more a component to those that 'shoot from the hip' and worry about consequences later. Many of us get stuck in a place of justifying our actions with blindness to the consequences. Our actions are ego based and not truth or rational based. "First one decides the goal, then one gathers the principles or delusions to justify reaching this goal." Principles or delusions? This depends on whether the mind is being used for rational thought or if out of control passions are in command.
3 - Rationality requires adherence to certain standards.
There are many standards to consider and each individual has to judge these for themselves. Another name for a standard is a rule. Many people are defiant against 'rules' and they are entitled to not follow the rules as they please. But such freedom has a price to pay, so they should not balk at paying the price for their freedom with the necessary consequences that come from not following the rules. Standards are different for each area of excellence that we seek to attain. The standards for excellence in rock climbing are different from those of a scuba diver. Professional standards of an engineer will be different from societal standards of being a good parent. But one thing is certain. If we are defiant and balk against these standards we will probably be headed for failure or even death in certain activities. Failure? This cannot be said in 100% of the cases, for without such experimentation and digression inventors would not produce much. But in generally acceptable terms, certain standards usually have to be followed.
In the old classic "Zen and the Art of motorcycle Maintenance author Robert Pirsig discusses this subject when he compares an ego based climber to a selfless climber that is not driven by pride and ego. This also applies to diving as well.
"To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one front in front of the other both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when they need a rest. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument that's out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. He's likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows he's tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what's ahead even when he knows what's ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. He's here but he's not here. He rejects the here, is unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then it will be "here." What he's looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesn't want that because it is all around him. Every step's an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant."
Jon Krakauer from "Into Thin Air" also discusses such a death drive.
"Mountaineering tends to draws men and women not easily deflected from their goals. By the late stages of our Everest expedition we had all been subjected to levels of misery and pain that would have sent more balanced individuals packing for home long ago. To get this far one had to have an uncommonly, obdurate personality. Unfortunately, the sort of individual who is programmed to ignore personal distress and keep pushing for the top is frequently programmed to disregard signs of grave and immanent danger as well. This forms the nub of a dilemma that every Everest climber eventually comes up against: In order to succeed you must be exceedingly driven, but if your 'too driven' your likely to die. Above 26,000 feet the line between pirate zeal and reckless summit fever becomes grievously thin. Thus the slopes of Everest are littered with corpses."
To get the wisdom from the book you will have to read it. I have not included any passages from it, but used parallel snips from other books relating to this area. But if you like these examples and you find the book useful in developing a balanced approach to diving and staying alive. I found "The Last Dive" one of the most important books a diver can have in their diving library. I hope you find it as useful as I did.
I'll leave you with a quote from Socrates regarding blinding passions.
"My friend Crito, your zeal is invaluable, if a right one; but if wrong, the greater the zeal the greater the evil...
Take Care,
Dan aka fookisan
When judgments have to be made, mistakes can and will happen and the best we can do is give it an honest effort with rational thought. The ancient Greek philosophers knew that when passion rules the mind, that the only job left for reason is that of the subservient task to find cleaver ways to satisfy the passions. They called it "putting passion before reason."
There are 3 Components of Rationality to be mindful of:
1 - Rationality requires reflection.
Many of us are too busy to reflect. Other times our minds our consumed with troubles and out of control passions. Over thinking also plays a part in keeping our minds working in the wrong direction. An old Buddhist saying tells us that a constantly busy mind cannot heal itself. Reflection time must be 'open thinking' time where we look at all ends of the spectrum of answers and choices and not just the comfortable one we are accustomed to. We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that we used when we created them. Psychologist William James once said, "A great many people believe they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."
2- Rationality is the ability to anticipate consequences.
Reflection pays big part in this as well as past experiences and the process of extrapolation from past experiences and others mistakes. Weighing and balancing are two key words that come into play. Sometimes 'gambling' is more a component to those that 'shoot from the hip' and worry about consequences later. Many of us get stuck in a place of justifying our actions with blindness to the consequences. Our actions are ego based and not truth or rational based. "First one decides the goal, then one gathers the principles or delusions to justify reaching this goal." Principles or delusions? This depends on whether the mind is being used for rational thought or if out of control passions are in command.
3 - Rationality requires adherence to certain standards.
There are many standards to consider and each individual has to judge these for themselves. Another name for a standard is a rule. Many people are defiant against 'rules' and they are entitled to not follow the rules as they please. But such freedom has a price to pay, so they should not balk at paying the price for their freedom with the necessary consequences that come from not following the rules. Standards are different for each area of excellence that we seek to attain. The standards for excellence in rock climbing are different from those of a scuba diver. Professional standards of an engineer will be different from societal standards of being a good parent. But one thing is certain. If we are defiant and balk against these standards we will probably be headed for failure or even death in certain activities. Failure? This cannot be said in 100% of the cases, for without such experimentation and digression inventors would not produce much. But in generally acceptable terms, certain standards usually have to be followed.
In the old classic "Zen and the Art of motorcycle Maintenance author Robert Pirsig discusses this subject when he compares an ego based climber to a selfless climber that is not driven by pride and ego. This also applies to diving as well.
"To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one front in front of the other both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when they need a rest. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument that's out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. He's likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows he's tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what's ahead even when he knows what's ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. He's here but he's not here. He rejects the here, is unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then it will be "here." What he's looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesn't want that because it is all around him. Every step's an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant."
Jon Krakauer from "Into Thin Air" also discusses such a death drive.
"Mountaineering tends to draws men and women not easily deflected from their goals. By the late stages of our Everest expedition we had all been subjected to levels of misery and pain that would have sent more balanced individuals packing for home long ago. To get this far one had to have an uncommonly, obdurate personality. Unfortunately, the sort of individual who is programmed to ignore personal distress and keep pushing for the top is frequently programmed to disregard signs of grave and immanent danger as well. This forms the nub of a dilemma that every Everest climber eventually comes up against: In order to succeed you must be exceedingly driven, but if your 'too driven' your likely to die. Above 26,000 feet the line between pirate zeal and reckless summit fever becomes grievously thin. Thus the slopes of Everest are littered with corpses."
To get the wisdom from the book you will have to read it. I have not included any passages from it, but used parallel snips from other books relating to this area. But if you like these examples and you find the book useful in developing a balanced approach to diving and staying alive. I found "The Last Dive" one of the most important books a diver can have in their diving library. I hope you find it as useful as I did.
I'll leave you with a quote from Socrates regarding blinding passions.
"My friend Crito, your zeal is invaluable, if a right one; but if wrong, the greater the zeal the greater the evil...
Take Care,
Dan aka fookisan
