Deck chair fools and their Balloons

Read in the Melbourne Herald Sun Newspaper on July 8 of a guy, armed with a B B Gun who had flown 320 kms across Idaho in America on his lawn chair, held aloft by 150 helium balloons. His flight lasted 9 hours before he used his trusty BB Gun to deflate the balloons and successfully land. According to Kent Couch it was great, he said, “If I had the time and money and people, I’d do this every week.

Yes for Kent it was a bit of fun and a lark, but for Father Adelir de Carli of Brazil, it wasn’t so funny. He took off in Brazil 3 months previously but was blown out over the Ocean and his body was only found on July 7^th. Both men were apparently inspired by a guy called “Lawnchair Larry" Walters who did something similar in 1982.

Stupid don’t you think? But are we any different, really? How often are we led into imitating others into doing something potentially dangerous or just stupid by the successful behaviour of others? Or even how often do we encourage or inspire others to do equally stupid things? Things that one or two might do successfully but things that otherwise have dangerous consequences for others, like with this deckchair stunt? Things that others, either don’t have our expertise or luck in, and end up being completely blown off course to their destruction. What say you? Will you be more careful in future? Both about examples you follow and also examples you set?