Actually, That Skywire Thing Was Pretty Cool: More Than A Mere Stunt

Last updated on: June 24, 2013 at 11:42 am by S. L. Whitesell

Actually, That Skywire Thing Was Pretty Cool: More Than A Mere Stunt 2013-06-24T11:42:44-06:00 S. L. Whitesell

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Also See: That SkyWire Thing Was Probably a Bad Idea: Invoking Jesus While Playing With Your Life

I’ve never been much of a sports fan. I couldn’t understand the investment others made in attaining savant levels of knowledge about championship history, player statistics, and franchise migration. Frankly, I decided it was all some kind of cultural sickness. When I went to Iraq, my friend and sometimes mentor Francisco Gonzalez sent me a book that changed all that. On The Unseriousness of Human Affairs, a series of essays by James V. Schall, explores the value in things the modern mind regards as inconsequential.

Fr. Schall taught me to appreciate sports and games, not only as a participant but as a spectator. The male physique built and conditioned to consistently throw a leather ball 80 yards with pinpoint accuracy, while darting away from 300-pound men trying to knock him to the ground; the human reflexes honed to connect a wooden stick with just the right point on a small white object moving fast enough to kill a man; the integrated athleticism of a tennis player who moves and swings across her clay or grass canvas. These are wonderful to behold, in many ways like Michelangelo’s David or a masterful symphony performance.

So I avoid the temptation to poo-poo feats like Skywire, in which Nik Wallenda walked across the grand canyon on a tightrope. What’s the point, other than to watch some attention-starved performer risk his life for no discernible gain? I would have said that once, too. But Wallenda wasn’t just brave — he was skilled. He trained and strove and developed to achieve a level of capability virtually unmatched on the planet — an uncommon blend of balance, reflex, strength, endurance, and resolve.

So what’s the point of this spectacle? Well, what’s the point of sailing, or figure skating, or chess? The point is that we imperfectly point to glory. Beauty in creation is a good, and we are part of that creation. In our fallen state, Adam’s race is a mere shadow of the glory that awaits us, glory of which we have the greatest foretaste in the body and blood of our Older Brother. The stars and rivers and sunsets of this world display God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature.” Perhaps we can too.

Of course, a guy walking on a wire over a canyon is hardly a Brandenburg Concerto or the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Maybe some things really aren’t worth the risk or are just vulgar showboating. But I can barely walk from one room to another in a straight line, and looking out of a 3rd story window makes me a little queasy. If you have impeccable balance and no fear, then maybe this is just a silly stunt to you. But I’m content to admire this feat of human ability and look forward to a day when fear and injury are erased from our world.

Previous Post

June 24, 2013

That SkyWire Thing Was Probably a Bad Idea: Invoking Jesus While Playing With Your Life

Next Post

June 24, 2013 ELSEWHERE: Science, Sports, and the Spirit of Giving

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Asides Elsewhere Featured Film Games General Culture Headline Literature Music Of the Moment Podcast Politics RetroPost Sports Technology Television Uncategorized Viral

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz