PERILOUS JOURNEY Whitewater rafters struggle to remain afloat a raging river

By JAMES SAM

Excitement is ephemeral. A rush of adrenaline begins in spontaneity and ends in the blink of an eye. This feeling, typically a byproduct of certain activities, is something many humans risk their lives for, a byproduct of activities such as skydiving, snowboarding, drag racing, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, rock climbing. In the face of danger, pain, and death a glimmer shines in the eye of a particular type of person. A fire is lit in his heart with his body compelled to move according to instinct rather than rationality.

Why do we chase the thrill?

Coined by Walter Bradford Cannon, the flight-or-flight mechanism paints a binary picture of our responses to threatening circumstances. The feeling of fear that swells up within us has the power to dictate our reaction to external stimuli. It is one of our more powerful emotions, evolutionarily adapted and cemented into every interaction we share with the world. When a person overlooks the canyon at Danao Adventure Park littered with sharp stones and tall trees, fear makes its presence known. A 200-meter-tall cliff and its closest neighbors are the canopies underneath. Facing a 50-meter free fall from the top of the cliff, thrillseekers forfeit control over their body at the adventure park’s canyon swing.  Equipped with protective gear and a large elastic cord, the threat of death looms large. Reason will tell tales of accidents, faulty equipment leading to a detached cord mid-fall, or the overextension of one’s spine due to recoil leading to paralysis.

Yet, they jump.

50-METER FALL The canyon swing at Danao Adventure Park from atop a 200-meter-tall point
In Cagayan de Oro, thrillseekers willingly struggle to stay afloat on rough, rapid rivers. They board inflatable rafts and subject themselves to strong currents contested only by large boulders and sharp rocks. Control over their raft is limited to slight turns and adjustments. In search of a rush of adrenaline, whitewater rafters place themselves into a life-threatening situation. Within the river, there are plenty of obstacles people can get pressed up against and, unable to free themselves from the oncoming current, they drown. Because of the minimal freedom of movement aboard a raft carried by the river, people can be sent hurling toward boulders, causing bruises, broken bones, even death. Yet whitewater rafters go for it with grins from ear to ear.

The bid for a thrill evidently does not arise from reason.

To consider activities such as bungee jumping and whitewater rafting is to recognize risks and dangers, but there’s something powerful enough to embolden one to jump, to fall, to fly. Like the fabled romance in Romeo and Juliet, the pursuit of the thrill is a phenomenon that defies reason. Romeo and Juliet, caught between feuding families engaged in violence and bloodshed, prioritize their love for each other over the blatant dangers of their entanglement. Within these two star-crossed lovers is a passion that overrules the consideration of their situation. Amid brawls leading to deaths and outlawing from both of their families, the story follows their attempt to navigate these turmoils in order to fulfill their desire for romance. A similar passion is found within those who seek a thrill. Fear being one of our more powerful emotions, overcoming it offers a rewarding experience. To triumph over the fear of risk and danger is an accomplishment that demands intense concentration and willpower. Picture yourself on the edge of a helicopter 3,500 meters above the ground. Your goal is to take a leap of faith, with your faith placed in the parachute that will be thrown out in your wake as you fall. Fear should be at the forefront of your experience. To overcome this overwhelming feeling is an extreme process and it results in that which enthusiasts find themselves chasing to the furthest ends of the world—

the thrill.