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Show Signpost -Tuesday, May 8, 1984 1 -4. I - A -; f , v -J l:':.:''"' '..''V.. : v;"-.- ; . : . ' ' ,'.'" ; :. '.''-- ' " cV.f i ' ' . ' ; -:. . . ' - .. . I : . i t- ' '";v.'-'.' ' 0: : ' ". -. -Jv"'' ; - . ' i ' it ' s. Ready-Let's-Go Several years ago, my friend Greg and I were advanced skydiving students. Greg was an unwaivering Christian and I, a devoted atheist. We were debating our favorite subject religion. "How can you skydive without believing in God? Don't you enjoy the comfort of knowing that God will help you!" he exclaimed. "Easy, I let go and fall. And there is no comfort in something that doesn't exist!" I answered. As if he was trying to make one last attempt to understand me, he asked, "Don't you get scared?" What a stupid question, I thought to myself. Isn't everybody afraid of death? "No," 1 said as we walked to the airplane. My parachute was a black Para-Commander that 1 had purchased from the owner of the airplane we usually jumped from. I got it for a good price because, as everyone who jumped in Ogden knew, this parachute took an extra 500 feet to open. As the plane climbed to 7,000 feet above ground level, it was unusually quiet. The engine noise was distant and nobody was joking around like they usually did. The tail of the plane shook. This was the cue for the spotter to look out the door and tell the pilot which way to turn so we would land where we were - supposed to. I had felt this shake several times before, but this time it startled me. " The plan was, I would go out first, Lee would come second and the rest would follow. Lee would fly down and grab my arms. The rest would fly in to the formation as they got there. Simple, I thought. "READY . . . LET'S . . .GO!" is what brought me out of my trance. 1 let go and tried to fall stable. But my body had its own ideas. I was twisting and turning out of control. I'd move an arm, and spin off to the right. I'd move a leg, and flip over. Back to earth, head to earth, until finally I stabilized. I started looking for Lee, but I couldn't see him. I then looked - for someone but couldn't see anyone. I was scared when I saw Mark's parachute fully open 2,000 feet above me. "OH! MY GOD!" I exclaimed. I realized that if Mark was up there I was below the 1,000 foot mark and only five seconds away from impacting the ground. A rush of fear went through my body. I brought both hands in to pull my ripcord. I looked at the ground. The only thing I could see were the numbers 25 on the end of the runway, the runway I was about to hit. At that moment I realized that it was my sniveling black Para-Commander that was expected to save my life. My altimeter indicated that I was at the 700 foot level. That was how much altitude it took for my chute to open. At that moment I accepted the fact that I was going to die. The next thing I saw was the altimeter needle indicating I was under the 500 foot level. I quickly looked at the ground in hopes that my altimeter was off; it wasn't. The vehicles were getting larger and larger. Several things of my past kept going through my mind: times I had shared with friends and family, my dishonest business transactions, and other things that one would consider as wrong doings. I started to feel the canopy inflating; my shoulders were being pulled now with more force. I looked at my altimeter again. It was going under the 400 foot mark. "If there is a God, please open my chute!" I thought. With a loud pop and a sudden halt of air blowing under my helmet, I instantly felt safe. My descent had slowed. I was amazed to find my altitude above the four hundred foot mark it had went past earlier. I turned into the wind just in time to touch the ground. It was the softest landing I had ever experienced. The people who were watching from the ground had gone white, even my friend Flip and he's black. My girl friend's mouth was open and her eyes were in a blank stare. I then went to my knees ever so gently. . Nobody moved for several moments. I looked around at the others on the ground. They just stared at me. Finally Mike came over to help me with my gear. "What happened?" asked my instructor. "I don't know, I was trying to get stable. Then I lost track of altitude," I answered numbly. "Why your main instead of your reserve?" he asked. "Stupidity," I replied. That was the first and last time that my black Para-Commander ever opened without using a full 700 feet. Since that time, I have started opening my chute at a higher altitude than anybody else, and have been developing a concept of God. J Ad Lib If you treat men the way they are, you never improve them, If you treat them the way you want them to be, you do. Johann von Goethe The experience of career relocation exacts a far less heavy toll on executive-types and their families than is commonly believed. A recent study reveals that people survive their moves, cope, adjust and thrive. The study contradicts many of the myths associated with moving and finds many other aspects of the experience less bothersome than had been thought. For example, a high proportion of relocated couples report that they remain happily married even after repeated moves. Psychology Today f5 p? e 4 (4 tA iA cAa eA The invention of the contact lens literally opened new vistas for people who either could not or would not wear glasses. But until recently there was still a group of eye patients who couldn't take advantage of even the most sophisticated of lens technology. A LSU ophthalmologist has perfected a procedure which involves using parts of a donated cornea to replace the patient's own focusing mechanism. The donated tissue is delivered to a special machine called a cryolathe, which freezes the cornea, then shapes and refocuses the lens with the aid of a computer until it exactly matches the patient's own prescription. In a simple operation, the outer cells of the patient's eyes are rubbed off with a cotton swab, and the new lens is sewn on. Omni 4,4,4,4,4, tA A A iA Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Pablo Picasso 4 f$ A A A As K Editor: Stephanie Chamberlain |