Evel Knievel died today at 69 years old. He wasn't my 'hero' per se. To me he was a man who knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.
While he was never what I would consider a great speaker, he sometimes had some insights into life that we all could benefit from. After all, he did 'live' and at times, it was a challenge.
According to those who are reporting his death, He recently said this:
"For every adversity there is an equivalent seed of benefit," he wrote. "You only have to look for it. Chase your dreams and get up if you fail."
I think that sometimes we forget what it means to be men. I myself don't think that being a man means living on the edge of danger or death. I believe it means being a man who doesn't _fear_ danger or death.
And sometimes, 'danger' means being vulnerable when all your alarms are saying not to be.
'Vulnerable' doesn't mean 'weak'.
To me, it means that you are willing to drop the fake you, when someone else is showing you their true self. Someone who needs you to be stronger than they are at that moment. Sometimes it means knowing when to open your heart, and when to protect it.
In the end, what do you lose if you are open?
But worse, what do you lose if you are closed when someone else is opening, and you miss it? Or you are so closed you refuse to see it?
We all aspire to be strong men. Perhaps we need to keep the 'boy' in check when we find ourselves dealing with 'the world' or an angry woman who want's to break up our relationship.
Maybe, just maybe, there is something much more powerful that we need to be paying attention to?
I believe it's the power of self. Our innate ability to care for ourselves, to do what we need to do to survive. It's beyond living, 'survive' is a primitive emotion. More importantly, it's the power we all have to look at where we are, and find the path to where we desire to be. Sometimes that will be with our spouse, sometimes it won't.
Regardless, it will always be with US. We always are living in our own skin.
