Burlington, Vermont

A recent commercial features Robbie Knievel, son of famed dare devil Evel Knievel, mocking his attempt to jump over several school buses, What impels someone to become a dare devil, risking death as a way of life? Is it raw courage or a flamboyant suicide gesture?
It’s hard to imagine the motivation for someone who takes up a career as a stunt performer, dare devil. The crown prince of this genre is the legendary Evel Knievel. Over the course of his five decade career he broke countless world jumping motorcycle records along with forty broken bones.
Last year Trigger Gumm was injured in a spectacular crash trying to fly over 350 feet on his motorcycle in Oklahoma. Is this sheer insanity? The answer to the question of why is found in the very nickname dare devil. In essence it represents the person’s preoccupation with death. But rather than allowing this focus on death to sink into a depression, these individuals challenge it in a unique way. They turn their inner fears into a life mission and a profitable living.
It is a reaction formation against the normal human fear of death. “If I invite it and survive I have won a battle against the grim reaper.” All in all it is an imaginative adaptation, but clearly not highly recommended.
My advice for the grim is to find a compromise between the two forms of self-destruction. Medication for the depressed and perhaps a season ticket to an amusement park with a frightening roller coaster. Your family will be grateful.