The death of the "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin, was a painful one for many people. His wife and family members will be devastated for life. His children will never know life with their father. Society will lose a man whose passion dwarfs the average individual. That of course was his greatness.
Irwin, at age 44 is gone from this world but will not be forgotten by the people who enthusiastically would watch his latest exploits. He was simply the guy with no fear. We all remember kids like that growing up but Irwin just kept on going, creating a legend. The average person basically lives a dull life. At times there is excitement but that is not the norm. Be it going to school or job not particularly cared for, most people get excitement through other people. Be it watching way too much mindless television of other people getting rich or following the lives of people who do not and never will know you through other avenues, the average person's life is pretty much a snore. Irwin was way different in every category.
He would also bring his wife along to be part of his exploits of tackling crocodiles( done that lately?) or getting up close to various parts of nature most people are too afraid of. His eyes would radiate love and passion. How many people can say that, particularly in their 40's? One can say he had too much passion. Having two children home and a wife may make some think about what they are doing and to calm it down a bit. But he could not. Then again, it is passion that makes a person successful.
As a young person I played baseball. Various adults would come over with a big smile and eyes lit. Questions like, "How is the arm?" or "Ready to roll?" were common. I would just shrug at the adult and give a quick comment never understanding the interest the adult had. As the years tick I understand quite well. Good people with average lives would get a "break" from the tedious "real" life and relive their youth through myself and other kids. The passion of life came back for a couple of hours. I repeat the process myself when I see the young. For a guy like Steve Irwin, he was the 44-year-old kid people would light up for. He brought an adrenaline rush to the average person with the average life. He was the life of the party.
A couple of lessons are to be learned through Mr. Irwin's death: 1) Life is extremely short. Yes, he could have lived longer but we are always a hair away from death though it may not seem like it at times. 2) Life without passion stinks. You become bitter, sarcastic and dull... and forgotten. Steve Irwin was a man of action and passion. God rest his soul.
Robert Carberry is a freelance writer from New York
Source: www.articlecity.com
