I think it is the fear of falling, not the heights themselves.
No, it's the fear of hitting the ground. Nobody ever got hurt by falling, but the sudden stop at the end really smarts.
Maybe that's why skydivers do it. It flies in the face of a natural fear we are born with for self-preservation
Skydiving isn't about fear, or bravado, or such stuff. It's about freedom. Freefall is like swimming in water you can breathe.
I think it isn't the fear of heights we have...it's a fear of falling. Notice you don't have dreams about being somewhere high...you have dreams about falling.
Many moons ago we were blown out; the wind was too strong to jump, the ceiling too low, and finally the drop zone owner called a green light for alcohol. We were all gathered together down in the loft arund a big wood burning pot belly stove, staying warm. Everyone disappointed for the day. Someone proposed the idea of everybody describing a falling dream. The question came up as to how many there had ever had a falling dream. Everyone raised their hand. Then came the question how many have ever hit the ground. Everyone raised their hand. So we took turns describing them.
Everyone had the same reaction. We hit the ground, and then got up, took off our rig, and threw it down angrily. It had let us down. We were upset, disappointed, mostly angry. To a man, everyone had the same experience. This from people who fall for recreation or for a living. All except for the last person. He described his dream; he was in freefall, reached to pull, nothing. He's falling faster, getting ground rush. Impact is imminent. Then he said wait a minute! This is my dream. He began flapping his arms and went back up again.
Se la vie.
I don't like heights. Never have. For years, since I was a kid, I haven't liked heights. Most of the time when on a tall building or a cliff, I have to back away from the edge, stay clear. I have an overwhelming urge to jump, and most of the time don't think about how terribly high it is, but how unfortunately low it is. Altitude is life.
I attempted to get used to it for a bit but it just didn't work. So they hung out with mom while I roamed around drinking beer (more fun for me anyhow). I had a similar experience at Turner Field. It is odd that in airplanes its fine but in that situation I'm about to freak. Anyone else?
