7. Fearless Felix

 

 

At last his dream came true. (0)  five years of preparation, Felix Baumgartner eventually carried (1)   his record-breaking free-fall sky dive on 14th October, 2012. It was a unique publicity stunt, providing global exposure for a brand of energy drink (2)  fittingly promises to give you wings so you can fly. The media dubbed Baumgartner “Fearless Felix.”

It’s easy to criticize Baumgartner, accusing him of (3)  nothing more than a sensationseeking stuntman. But how many of us would be able to stand on the brink of a capsule 24 miles above the surface of the earth, deliver a few words of wisdom, no  (4)  how well rehearsed, then say “I’m going over now” and actually do it? Who is brave and fit enough to survive such an experience? How many of us could summon up the courage to launch ourselves into space and hurtle towards the ground at a speed of over 800 mph? The answer is very few and for excellent reasons, obviously. While we enjoy observing such exploits, the (5)  of us are far too cautious to take life-threatening risks (6) the kind that Baumgartner is used to facing. Our natural instinct is to (7)  danger, injury, pain and death at all costs.

And yet the human (8)  has an urge to break boundaries, to explore, discover and try things out, and perhaps we (9)  courageous individuals like Baumgartner to stand in for us and follow the drive “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” in the words of Star Trek’s Captain Kirk. There have to be those (10)  aim in life is to set themselves challenges and push themselves to the limit, not resting until they have completed their mission or at (11) attempted to do so.

These people are both selfless and selfish: selfless in that they are prepared to sacrifice their  (12)  in their quest for knowledge and unprecedented experiences; selfish in that they are so consumed by their goals that they put them before everything and everyone else. The family and friends who cherish them must learn to accept this.