This is my tribute to the recently departed Steve “Crocodile hunter” Irwin. I must admit that I was never a fan of his, nor his work. I personally saw him as another peculiar foreigner with a funny accent no different from the likes of Johnny Knoxville, Jimmy Fallon, and Dave Chapelle, though i must admit that he'll never be as funny.My impression of him was he was just nother unappreciated wild life conservationist. His shows was just one of those waves I happened to crash in to while im channel surfing every so often, but nonetheless, I knew his name and what he did. His manner of dying wasn’t much of a shock to me than the fact that he’s dead. Yes, Dead, the man who ive seen wrestle crocodiles, hold down alligators, stick his head into the gaping lion’s jaws, and play kissy face with pit vipers. The man who’s ducked and dodged death almost countless times against the fangs and claws of almost all of natures most primal of kin. It’s almost surreal that a stingray’s envenomed barb would have his number, but it did, and his death showed me what I really wanted out of my own life.As ive watched his exploits unfold through the years, it was so obvious that he loved his work and was happy doing it. His passion for what he did was entirely unique to him. After every seemingly fatal or decapitating moment he seamlessly, or even mockingly at times, dodged by a hair. I am in awe of the fact that, the next time I watch him, he’s still there. Even when at times when his daily gamble doesn’t pay off as big, say, death is halted by a dose of anti-venom or a good helping of anti-bacterial cream and a lot of bandages, and after a while, he’s at it again. He has made cheating death as part of his profession, and how he’s done it for as long as he did, is entirely dumbfounding. I see it not as absolute fearlessness of death, but as the strongest will to live. This to me exemplifies this man.If this isn’t enough to earn the respect, or even admiration for this man, I don’t know what is. What this man and his life and death stand for should be the blueprint for the entire existence of humanity.
Waking up in morning doing what you love, even if it means having to risk your next breath every single time and then, doing it all over again tomorrow. To be happy, content, and ready to die at any given moment. That is how I want to live, and I only hope and pray that I meet my own demise even close to how he met his.
--graydarksoul--
