"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
I love rollercoasters. Seriously. If it is fast, I’m there. Does it go upside down? Sign me up. Do you have to wear a shoulder harness? Awesome. Loopty-loop? Yes, please. There are also amusement park rides I do not enjoy. If it spins you around, no, thanks. Do you hang from a couple chains suspended like a preschooler on a swing set? I’ll pass. And the great-big slippery slide… Sorry, I just don’t see the point (plus the gunny-sacks you have to sit on always give me the heebie-jeebies).
A few years ago, on a trip to Disney’s California Adventure amusement park with my family, I spent a ridiculous amount of time in line for the ultimate thrill ride: the Incredicoster. It is a rollercoaster themed after the 2004 Pixar movie The Incredibles.
It was about 187-degrees Fahrenheit that day (give or take) as we stood melting into our tennis shoes. We watched and waited as person after person, family after family, boarded the coaster and shot off into 6,072-feet of twists and turns, reaching a height of 121-feet barreling around the corners at 55 miles per hour. The clatter of the car on the track and squeals of the patrons was a cacophony of delight to my ears. When the ride was over, person after person exited the ride with the same permanent, ear to ear grin.
I was abuzz with expectation. The anticipation of the ride kept my attention laser focused on each element. Every swoop and turn captivated me. The change of sound as the cars approached the loop, climbed, reached the apex and catapulted to earth.
Each passengers’ trip lasted only 3 minutes. As we waited, we witnessed run after run after run of this colossal mechanism. And. I. Simply. Could. Not. Wait!
I’m not sure what the appeal is for me and rollercoasters… But I can take a guess. I’m not naturally a thrill seeker. I pretty much play by the rules and keep myself as far away from danger as humanly possible. This, I believe, is why I love rollercoasters. Roller Coasters are a safe risk. I don’t naturally take unsafe risks. I don’t drive without a seatbelt. I don’t experiment with drugs, knives or firearms. I don’t drink milk after the expiration date. No risks. Or as few risks as I can manage.
So, when I visit a fair or an amusement park, there is a certain thrill in taking a mitigated risk. I know (or at least believe) that if I go on a rollercoaster, it will offer me a safe thrill. I will experience the excitement of danger, without actually putting myself into danger. This feeds my adrenaline and gives me a rush. Afterward, I can recover with a corn-dog and a candied-apple, so that’s an added plus which feeds my stomach.
I know people who are addicted to drama. They live a life of constant upset. They have relationship issues. They are in turmoil over work issues. They yell at their neighbors. They hate their boss. It is just one intense siege of drama after another. They live in the rush of the rollercoaster. They feed on the adrenaline that perpetual conflict serves to them.
If and when they finally get an issue resolved and life settles into a normal rhythm, they crash from the high. They crave the drama because they crave the adrenaline because they carve the high. The are living on a metaphorical roller coaster.
This would exhaust me.
And I’m sure it exhausts them.
When we are living in a constant state of exhaustion, we become irritable. People who live in a constant state of elevated drama are irritable because they are exhausted by living in a constant state of elevated drama. It even sounds like a roller coaster, doesn’t it? Well, it is.
The thing about thrill-seeking is that it is addictive. The thrill-seeker chases the adrenaline high like an addict chasing a fix. They need to get the rush. And a bigger and better rush at that. The drama driven thrill-seeker seeks drama to cure the itch, to quench the thirst. This is a toxic, self-destructive behavior.
As I said before, I try to stay as far away from danger as possible. Additionally, I try to stay away from drama, too. So seeking the thrill of a rollercoaster gives me the temporary high of danger that I love, but the quest for it is temporary. I can give drama the old “heave-ho” without so much as a sideways glance.
It’s hard to understand why some people crave the drama. Maybe it gives them the feeling of being alive. Just like a rollercoaster. It reminds them that they have a beating heart, that they can think and feel and decide for themselves.
For me, it just seems like too high a cost. Especially when, with a rollercoaster, you can simply buy a ticket, hop in, fasten your seatbelt and take the ride of your life at the local fair… Then you can always buy an elephant ear or sno-cone when you’re done.
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