Basejumper.com - archive

Are there any, any of you have come across either in poetry, literature, music, movies, sacred texts etc. that you find you can apply to your outlook on BASE? Or even better something you've come up with yourself?

Care to share them with the rest of us?

BASE WIKI list of nuggets

"Parachutes are like women, If you show em too much attention, they'll fu*k you over every time"

Earl Redfern

There are plenty on that site. Some really good ones too. Thanks.

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily,
To not dare is to lose one's self.

Soren Kierkegaard

From Heather Swan's Defying Gravity, Defying Fear

Here's a few

"Even if you live just one day with a clear understanding of what life is, the value of that one day is equal to many, many years of living without awareness"
-Dogen Zenji

"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away."
-Unknown

"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death."
-Leonardo da Vinci

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. .

-Sir Edmund Hillary

"No, vertigo is something other than the fear of falling. It is the voice of the emptiness below us which tempts and lures us, it is the desire to fall, against which, terrified, we defend ourselves."
-Milan Kundera

Oooooohh! MikePelkey, way to come strong with the Sir Edmund Hillary. That guy's one of my heros.

Sure:

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Yoda

“Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.” -Yoda

and of course my sig line, another good one...

"dont try to describe BASE to much, it is impossible. there is far to much pre meditated thoughts and opinions. if someone wants to know what it is like bad enough, they will one day stand and look down with a parachute on. and for them, there, the description will be waiting"

-CH

 " The biggest hurdles are in the mind "
-Reinhold Messner

"Reality will elude all those who do not seek it"
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" A man passing through an airport turnstile sideways is going to Bangkok "
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I really enjoyed the Kundera quote.

I took the following passage from The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse... Initially it was about classical music... It is now about BASE.

"The human attitude of which (BASE) is the expression is always the same; it is always based on the same kind of insight into life and strives for the same kind of victory over blind chance. (BASE) as gesture signifies knowledge of the tragedy of the human condition, affirmation of human destiny, courage, cheerful serenity. The grace of a (Gainer) by (Your favorite jumper), the sensuality sublimated into delicate gesture to be found in many Italian (jumpers) or in (insert jumper here), the tranquil, composed readiness for death in (insert jumper here)- always there may be (seen) in these works a defiance, a death defying intrepidity, a gallantry, and a note of super human laughter, of immortal gay serenity. Let that same note also sound in our (whichever vocation you choose), and in our whole lives, acts, and sufferings."


Another great passage in this book which you may or may not find related to BASE:

"Oh, if it were only possible to find understanding," Joseph exclaimed. "If only there were a dogma to believe in. Everything is contradictory, everything tangential; there are no certainties anywhere. Everything can be interpreted one way and then again interpreted in the opposite sense. The whole of world history can be explained as development and progress and can also be seen as nothing but decadence and meaninglessness. Isn't there any truth? IS there no real and valid doctrine?"
The Master had never heard him speak so fervently. He walked on in silence for a little, then said: "There is truth, my boy. But the doctrine you desire, absolute, perfect dogma that alone provides wisdom, does not exist. Nor should you long for a perfect doctrine, my friend. Rather, you should long for the perfection of yourself. The deity is within you, not in ideas and books. Truth is lived, not taught. Be prepared for conflicts, Joseph Knecht -I can see they have already begun."

mmmkaaay

Burn, Rape and Basejump

be alert. the world needs more lerts.

See Sig Line below.

 

“Why don't you climb down off the cross, take the wood to build a bridge, and get over it!” Chris Titus

GREAT !!!!! I love Titus ! ha! ha! That would be a great episode / season collection to pick up ! (making mental note to put that on my list to Santa!)

 
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I love this

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, loudly proclaiming…'WOW! What a ride!'"

-Anonymous

Or, perhaps this quote would be more appropriate in one of the injury threads


Steph

The big way at the ITW (Internet Terminal Wall).

My wide angle was not wide enough to get everybody in frame but our favorites are there.

managed to hook knife his line over

opened all right despite the head down on his back.

and

just has saw balls.

All in all, nobody really hurt. A few bruised egos and those who didn't respect the rules or tried to sabotage other jumpers gear got banned from the wall.

Different form of expression but I'm not that good with words...

who drew that picture its really good

A buddy gave me a packed rig for the weekend but cautioned me to repack it.

Him: It's a shitty packjob.
Me: What makes it shitty?
Him: The packjob.

Of course it opened beautifully.

 
Me: Dude, I'm gripped
Mike D: Of course you are, that's why we're all here.

Right before jumping a 350' platform on a 900' A.

Being the southern gentlemen they are I always got this:

Me: Who wants to go first
The guys: Ladies first

Today's nugget, uttered in all seriousness: "Now, I don't think I need vents and valves. I've got this great 200-ft tower in my vicinity, so I'll just stick to it and pass on 12-story buildings for now."