"Flying Around the World" Sham

I just wanted to share my opinion as it annoys me a bit.

I hear every now and then about someone who was the first [enter category] to fly around the world in a plane/balloon/helicopter/spitball. Almost impressive, if they didn't make 14 billion stops along that way.

It's not flying around the world if you stop before you go around the world. Can't do it in one trip without landing? Oh well. Bring a KC-135 to refuel you or something.

It's such a non-accomplishment to me. At least back with Amelia Earhardt and Lindberg there was more danger to it.

Phil I think you missing the point of why people do this. Yes flying around the world in today's day and age in a hot air balloon really doesn't do much for humanity overall but its a personal challenge, something to overcome, something to satisfy the desires of the individual or group. It’s a sense of the pioneering spirit to go out and do something that not everyone is going to do and to succeed.

It's also a major accomplishment doing what these people do. As an example a 15 year old flying solo across the U.S is something to be looked up to and admired Here's a young person who's defying convention to go out and do something that not to many 15 year olds can or will do. Flying around the world or even across the country isn't an easy task, even with GPS and the technology we have today things can happen that will challenge the individual to react, succeed, and survive. To one person it may not be an accomplishment, but It most certainly is, if not for humanity but a self satisfying accomplishment that one over came a challenge and succeeded.

If we didn't set out to challenge our own desires and interests we'd be a very sad culture. Look at it from your own perspective, ripping a phone book apart does nothing to motivate society but it challenges you, you get excited at the accomplishment of ripping a larger phone book apart then the previous one. No matter how big or how small the challenge or the task is in our eyes, to someone else it makes the world of difference if they undertake it.

But swimming the Amazon IS impressive :-P!!!!

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