Monday, October 17, 2011

"Who the Gods Love Die Young"

Given the topic of my most recent post and the tragic events yesterday, I feel I must diverge momentarily from the primary purpose of this blog. I trust any of you out there reading will understand.

If you are not aware, Dan Wheldon lost his life in an accidedent early in the race in Las Vegas. The eloquent words spoken by legendary 500 broadcaster Sid Collins eulogizing the loss of the great Eddie Sachs in 1964 seem appropriate:

Some men try to conquer life in a number of ways. These days of our outer space attempts some men try to conquer the universe. Race drivers are courageous men who try to conquer life and death and they calculate their risks. And with talking with them over the years I think we know their inner thoughts in regards to racing. They take it as part of living.

A race driver who leaves this earth mentally when he straps himself into the cockpit to try what for him is the biggest conquest he can make (are) aware of the odds and (Dan Wheldon) played the odds. He was serious and frivolous. He was fun. He was a wonderful gentleman. He took much needling and he gave much needling. Just as the astronauts do perhaps.

These boys on the race track ask no quarter and they give none. If they succeed they're a hero and if they fail, they tried. And it was (Dan's) desire and will to try with everything he had, which he always did. So the only healthy way perhaps we can approach the tragedy of the loss of a friend like (Dan Wheldon) is to know that he would have wanted us to face it as he did. As it has happened, not as we wish it would have happened. It is God's will I'm sure and we must accept that.

We are all speeding toward death at the rate of 60 minutes every hour, the only difference is we don't know how to speed faster and (Dan Wheldon) did. So since death has a thousand or more doors, (Dan Wheldon) exits this earth in a race car. Knowing (Dan) I assume that's the way he would have wanted it. Byron said "who the Gods love die young."


Godspeed, Dan Wheldon.

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