just IMHO... how skydiving helps real life

[Mike111 0]

Rant:

Even though many of these skills should be learned before, if one developes them they can, IMHO stand you in really good stead in other parts of life.

The first thing I realised is that it teaches one how to budget: jumps are expensive as is gear and coaching. Therefore, one has to select wisely and prudently what to spend the skydiving budget, however much that might be on areas where it is deemed most necessary. This helps is finiancial planning in later life and prioritising.

Secondly, it boosts confidence and social skills- if one is a timid personality, then the warmth of all, if nto most jumping circles enables one to intereact more freely and develope the confidnce to socialise a bit more openly. For jobs or moving residence this can really help.

The ability of self control - knowing our limits and not allowing ourselves to be impulsive and say" i wanna try that canopy, even though it si a katana 120 at 50 jumps!) (unlikely choice of canopy thought lol). This can be useful again in terms of having self discipline and self control.

The ability to trust others and oneself, whether it be packers, other members of a formation or one;s ability to pack - this self reliance increases indenependance and helps form cohesive bonds with other jumpers aswell- good skills when burdens are placed on you in later life in other areas... more chance of coping.

Finally, the ability not to panic, to stay calm, evaluate a situation and make the right decision - e.g. malfunction. This correlates ot real life since a dangeros situation could occur quite easily - e.g car crash... thus this ability to retain our calmness would increase our chances of survival

Just some thoughts.

Mike

[Tonto 1]

Small edits made..

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Rant:

Even though many of these skills should be learned before, if one developes them they can, IMHO stand you in really good stead in other parts of life.

The first thing I realised is that it teaches one how to budget: drugs are expensive. Therefore, one has to select wisely and prudently what to spend the drugs budget, however much that might be on areas where it is deemed most necessary. This helps is finiancial planning in later life and prioritising.

Secondly, drugs boosts confidence and social skills- if one is a timid personality, then the warmth of all, if nto most adictive circles enables one to intereact more freely and develope the confidnce to socialise a bit more openly. For jobs or moving residence this can really help.

The ability of self control - knowing our limits and not allowing ourselves to be impulsive and say" i wanna try that drug, even though it is acid at 15) (unlikely choice of drug thought lol). This can be useful again in terms of having self discipline and self control.

The ability to trust others and oneself, whether it be dealers, other addicts or one;s ability to mix - this self reliance increases indenependance and helps form cohesive bonds with other addicts aswell- good skills when burdens are placed on you in later life in other areas... more chance of coping.

Finally, the ability not to panic, to stay calm, evaluate a situation and make the right decision - e.g. bad trip. This correlates ot real life since a dangeros situation could occur quite easily - e.g car crash... thus this ability to retain our calmness would increase our chances of survival

Just some thoughts.

Mike

Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life other than have people think we are odd, at best, or dangerous, at worst. When we look at the top (dead) skydivers in the world, like Deug, Tom P, Roger Nelson etc, they were never well suited to a "normal" life.

Although the drug thing was meant as a joke, there are many similarities to the two, from the concerns of our parents, the obvious expense, the poor career choices of sneaking off to do jumps at lunch or being unavailable to work weekends, of moving to economically slow regeons for the weather, to the deaths of our friends around us while we continue with our habit convinced we'll be OK stumbling through the ruins of destroyed families.

Skydiving provides the most incredible feelings of freedom, and of belonging, but it comes at a very high price. For all of us, that price is worth it, but for those on the outside, it is nearly impossible to understand.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Dolph 0]

An acquaintance said this about heroin addiction in another forum I frequent:

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Now, everything out there becomes alien, uncomfortable, and undesirable. Your health, plans, and passions are of such unconcern.

While not directly applicable to skydiving, there for sure are similarities.

Put in another way, I'd be a much better and bigger geek if I wasn't skydiving and spent my weekends and spare time messing around with technology for fun like my colleagues. But work and the average middle class life of my colleagues seems alien, uncomfortable, and undesirable.

One good thing skydiving has given though is an added capacity to handle stress. And the ability to say "fuck it, it just ain't that important" because of a greater perspective the dark side of the sport teaches.

But overall, skydiving hasn't made me blend or fit into 'the normal life' better. Quite the opposite.

I think Tonto nailed it.

[AggieDave 6]

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Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life other than have people think we are odd, at best, or dangerous, at worst.

I don't know, I feel like skydiving has taught me how to deal with extreme-high stress situations in which serious injury or death is a likely out come. How to be vigilant and trust my gear and others around me, but with an understanding that neither will save me from my stupidity. Also skydiving has provided me with the ability to recognize emotional over-stimulation and how to control it so I can keep a clear head.

Martial arts has done that for me as did the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, but neither of those has provided even a fraction of what skydiving has.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[kelpdiver 2]

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Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life

I can't disagree more strongly with this statement.

Dealing with real fear, as well as better identifying real versus perceived risk all around, is very useful.

[Mike111 0]

I would definately have to agree that it can tear up families and cause distress and it is a very high price especially if it goes wrong.. but if one survives there are IMHO a lot of benefits (listed above) which are transferred to ordinary life.

i think the biggest is the fear management

[Tonto 1]

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Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life

I can't disagree more strongly with this statement.

Dealing with real fear, as well as better identifying real versus perceived risk all around, is very useful.

I think it may depend on your frame of reference. In South africa, where over 30 000 people are murdered every year, you've probably got the "dealing with real fear" nailed by the time you're about 9, and have had classmates die of aids, or their parents raped and/or murdered.

Skydiving is simply a recreation, and even it's scary moments are in a pretty highly controlled environment. (12 secs to deal with a mal as an example.)

You don't get 12 seconds in a gunfight, and your conditioned response will almost never work. Every situation is different.

Whatever. If skydiving helps you, good and well. We all like to think we're doing the right things for the right reasons.

Edit: Skydiving is expensive, fun, and can kill you, just like drugs. You may get away unscathed, or with a limp from titanium intrusion, or scarred by the thoughts of all your dead or maimed friends.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Tonto 1]

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but if one survives

So how long before you know you're a survivor? There's a thread in incidents where a 71 year old was killed. People seem quite upset about it.

Or are you only a survivor when you quit?

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Malta_Dog 0]

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Or are you only a survivor when you quit?

Your are definitely a survivor when you die from something else...

All your dropzone are belong to us!!!!111!

[Tonto 1]

That's funny!

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[diablopilot 2]

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Rant:

Even though many of these skills should be learned before, if one developes them they can, IMHO stand you in really good stead in other parts of life.

Oh boy. this should be fun.

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The first thing I realised is that it teaches one how to budget: jumps are expensive as is gear and coaching. Therefore, one has to select wisely and prudently what to spend the skydiving budget, however much that might be on areas where it is deemed most necessary. This helps is finiancial planning in later life and prioritising.

Is THAT why I quit a great paying job and have blown the last 7 years income on this sport?

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Secondly, it boosts confidence and social skills- if one is a timid personality, then the warmth of all, if nto most jumping circles enables one to intereact more freely and develope the confidnce to socialise a bit more openly. For jobs or moving residence this can really help.

Wuffos freak me out. I hate crowds of them, and I don't get why they think i'm a wack job for jumping from airplanes. Of course they do pay me to do it, so I guess they're not all bad.

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The ability of self control - knowing our limits and not allowing ourselves to be impulsive and say" i wanna try that canopy, even though it si a katana 120 at 50 jumps!) (unlikely choice of canopy thought lol). This can be useful again in terms of having self discipline and self control.

Are you kidding? I just blew a ton of money on two new canopies. Ramen will be my friend again for some time. Beer? Only that which we can guilt out of newbs for "firsts"! (Now you know the dirty secret of why the "firsts" rule exists.)

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The ability to trust others and oneself, whether it be packers, other members of a formation or one;s ability to pack - this self reliance increases indenependance and helps form cohesive bonds with other jumpers aswell- good skills when burdens are placed on you in later life in other areas... more chance of coping.

Fuck that, everyone else in the air is trying to kill me!!!

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Finally, the ability not to panic, to stay calm, evaluate a situation and make the right decision - e.g. malfunction. This correlates ot real life since a dangeros situation could occur quite easily - e.g car crash... thus this ability to retain our calmness would increase our chances of survival

Hmm....maybe. But this post is freaking me out man!

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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[DSE 5]

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Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life

Skydiving is a metaphor for any goal, position, or lifestyle that humans enjoy or endure, depending on how you consider it.
I submit this is why there are so many books on the subject of skydiving as a metaphor, self-help books that refer to skydiving, and self-help psychology books and videos that relate to skydiving.
Skydiving has financial, physical, mental, spiritual, social, and competitive aspects, all of which can be used as either improvements or detriments in our personal lives. Skydiving could be addiction or balance in our lives. Most people, I'd submit use it as a balancing factor while there are some that use it as their primary focus.
Could anyone seriously disagree with that?

How many skydivers jump to live, vs those that live to jump?

[Mike111 0]

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Rant:

Even though many of these skills should be learned before, if one developes them they can, IMHO stand you in really good stead in other parts of life.

Oh boy. this should be fun.

  Quote

The first thing I realised is that it teaches one how to budget: jumps are expensive as is gear and coaching. Therefore, one has to select wisely and prudently what to spend the skydiving budget, however much that might be on areas where it is deemed most necessary. This helps is finiancial planning in later life and prioritising.

Is THAT why I quit a great paying job and have blown the last 7 years income on this sport?

  Quote

Secondly, it boosts confidence and social skills- if one is a timid personality, then the warmth of all, if nto most jumping circles enables one to intereact more freely and develope the confidnce to socialise a bit more openly. For jobs or moving residence this can really help.

Wuffos freak me out. I hate crowds of them, and I don't get why they think i'm a wack job for jumping from airplanes. Of course they do pay me to do it, so I guess they're not all bad.

  Quote

The ability of self control - knowing our limits and not allowing ourselves to be impulsive and say" i wanna try that canopy, even though it si a katana 120 at 50 jumps!) (unlikely choice of canopy thought lol). This can be useful again in terms of having self discipline and self control.

Are you kidding? I just blew a ton of money on two new canopies. Ramen will be my friend again for some time. Beer? Only that which we can guilt out of newbs for "firsts"! (Now you know the dirty secret of why the "firsts" rule exists.)

  Quote

The ability to trust others and oneself, whether it be packers, other members of a formation or one;s ability to pack - this self reliance increases indenependance and helps form cohesive bonds with other jumpers aswell- good skills when burdens are placed on you in later life in other areas... more chance of coping.

Fuck that, everyone else in the air is trying to kill me!!!

  Quote

Finally, the ability not to panic, to stay calm, evaluate a situation and make the right decision - e.g. malfunction. This correlates ot real life since a dangeros situation could occur quite easily - e.g car crash... thus this ability to retain our calmness would increase our chances of survival

Hmm....maybe. But this post is freaking me out man!

Ahhh thats why there is a first rule... LOL.

Might be expensive but can be used ot budget- like got 100£ = 3 jumps today blah blah blah.

Must be quite useful... oh come on!!!!

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[Mike111 0]

I was generally referring to the point until one is killed.

[Mike111 0]

How many skydivers jump to live, vs those that live to jump?

[cptchaos 0]

indeed skydiving has many positive impacts on my life. and sometimes the price is high. even though i broke my spine doing this, i returned. i have had major problems with friends and family that could not except my decision to continue in this sport. but then again if i were down and out and sucking on a crack pipe, not one of those people would lift a finger to help me.

[i have paid the price...let me enjoy the vice!!!]

all that is gold does not glitter
not all those who wander
are lost!

[JohnRich 4]

Excellent post!

And in addition to your points, I would add that skydiving provides qualities that can help you in the business world too.

Just think of all the people skills and choreography that go into organizing a skydive. You take meticulous care of your equipment, train and prepare hard for your task, and are ever mindful of safety. You gather the right people for the job, organize them according to their skills, reach concensus on what to do, detail what everyone's specific tasks are to accomplish that goal, practice in advance, and have contingency plans. Then you go out and dive the plan. Afterwards, you de-brief and review to see what could be improved in the future. And all of this builds team spirit and cooperativeness, and fun.

These are real-life skills in leadership and management.

So the next time an employer asks what your hobbies are during a job interview, don't be afraid to proudly say; "Skydiving!". Then use that as your foot in the door to explain all these business management skills that you practice every weekend with your hobby. Don't leave them thinking you're a reckless dare-devil. Leave them thinking; "This guy's really got his shit together!"

It's too bad more businesses don't have working groups modeled after a skydiving dirt dive.

[Mike111 0]

I would 100% agree- the meticulous inspection skill, like you said developes thorough business practices, combined with excellent planning and personal responsibilty.

throwing oneself out of a plane isnt as pointless as whuffos think!

[pirana 0]

  Quote

Rant:

Even though many of these skills should be learned before, if one developes them they can, IMHO stand you in really good stead in other parts of life.

The first thing I realised is that it teaches one how to budget: jumps are expensive as is gear and coaching. Therefore, one has to select wisely and prudently what to spend the skydiving budget, however much that might be on areas where it is deemed most necessary. This helps is finiancial planning in later life and prioritising.

Secondly, it boosts confidence and social skills- if one is a timid personality, then the warmth of all, if nto most jumping circles enables one to intereact more freely and develope the confidnce to socialise a bit more openly. For jobs or moving residence this can really help.

The ability of self control - knowing our limits and not allowing ourselves to be impulsive and say" i wanna try that canopy, even though it si a katana 120 at 50 jumps!) (unlikely choice of canopy thought lol). This can be useful again in terms of having self discipline and self control.

The ability to trust others and oneself, whether it be packers, other members of a formation or one;s ability to pack - this self reliance increases indenependance and helps form cohesive bonds with other jumpers aswell- good skills when burdens are placed on you in later life in other areas... more chance of coping.

Finally, the ability not to panic, to stay calm, evaluate a situation and make the right decision - e.g. malfunction. This correlates ot real life since a dangeros situation could occur quite easily - e.g car crash... thus this ability to retain our calmness would increase our chances of survival

Just some thoughts.

Mike

My first thought was the driving thing. I did do a bit of competitive driving and consider myself extremely capable behind the wheel; but skydiving bumped it up another notch. Not just in remaining cool, calm, and collective under extremes, but in assessing risk overall. It has definitely improved the observe, analyze, decide, execute cycle time.

Has it helped me fit in. No, quite the opposite. I have even less patience than before with people that fret over squat.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[rocketdog 0]

"Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life other than have people think we are odd, at best, or dangerous, at worst."

like a lot of people here, i disagree, but to each their own. for me, it is a BIG reality check. it has taught me to value those i love because at any given second i (or they) could go. it has taught me to be humble, compassionate, supportive & to be assertive in some situations (i.e. saying "no" to a zoo dive)..... and while the outsiders think it's crazy, sometimes i wonder if those know how blessed they are?!

~hollywood

see the world! http://gorocketdog.blogspot.com

[JenJ 0]

In Reply To
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Jokes aside, skydiving does very little for us in real life

---------***I can't disagree more strongly with this statement.

Dealing with real fear, as well as better identifying real versus perceived risk all around, is very useful.

------------------------------------------------------------

Exactly, skydiving is great for maintaining a healthy perspective! I've always had a low tolerance for people who waste their time & mine fretting about petty crap. Now I can spend my weekends at the dz with others who know life is too precious to waste not living it to the max. And I'm developing the skills to try and handle any situation I might find myself in, which carries over into all areas of my life. Life is never safe, whether you're a whuffo or a skydiver, and avoiding risk is no guarantee you'll avoid tragedy. Better to approach life with confidence than fear. [;)

[cocheese 0]

You can blame an institution for all that you've learned. But everything you need to know you learned when you were 5. Putting these lessons to use elsewhere in life makes you think your institution is where it was learned.

Like you said : We should have already learned these things. Some of us will never learn.

[Guest 1010]

>Finally, the ability not to panic, to stay calm, evaluate a situation

Church breakfast several weeks ago ... little old lady across the table started to have trouble breathing, then her also-little-old-lady friend Heimliched her kindof, then started beating on her back, they were both getting panicky, nobody was noticing it but I did.

She appeared to be choking, sort of. I thought wow, this is happenning right in front of me(!) I went and squatted next to her, grabbed her hand, stopped her friend from beating her on the back/neck/shoulders, looked her in the eye and asked her to relax and breathe if she could.

I was relaxed myself (because I knew there was plenty of time to escalate my activities, at least a minute - totally from skydiving) and my being relaxed helped her to relax, and she started to breathe again. Easily the best thing I've done in a long time, all using common sense and instincts, and if that's ALL I ever really use from skydiving it will have been worth it.

(And that morning, I didn't totally suck. )

You can have it good, fast, or cheap: pick two.

[miss3sixty 0]

Tonto, I know you are a moderator on here, and have tons and tons of knowledge etc, but to be honest, I found your post quite surprising and rather negative for a direct reply.

Yes, you are right, skdiving is addictive, it often gets you in debt and alienates your friends and yes, it can kill you, just like drugs.

It seems that you think that Mike is living in cuckoo land and needs a wake up call.
However, I dont think that Mike is totally oblivious to this. he is simply expressing the positive things he has taken from skydiving.

You have put me on a bit of a downer to be honest

Miss3sixty

Skydiving- it has its ups and downs

[JohnMitchell 16]

All I know is that I can quit skydiving anytime I want . . . honest . . .. it's just . . . uh .. . I don't want to.

Yeah, that's it.

I've heard the sport called a vice for which occasionally you pay the price. That may be close to the truth. I sure do like it, though.

I think, overall, it's been a positive influence for me. I know that in my line of work I tend to stay calmer during emergencies or crazy times than many people around me. Whether skydiving has done that for me or I had it all along, I don't know.