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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Biography / Autobiography
- Published: 03/10/2019
Okay, first, let’s get a few things straight. I am afraid of heights. I have never been on a roller coaster. I don’t climb ladders- and the one time I did, the ladder shook so much from my shakes, that the guy holding it told me to: “Get down off of there before you fall.” In the Army we had to do the “Slide for Life”, which (for Civilians) is now called a “Zip Line”. Zip lines come with harnesses, helmets, and safety nets…we just had a wooden wall covered with old tires. If you didn’t let go of the “crank” you were holding onto with both hands when you got over the lake, well, you bumped into that wall, then fell into the water. I screamed the whole way down. They told me later that I had let go the moment I saw the lake. And they thought I was a goner!
I lucked out though, because I did hit the lake, but only in about four feet of water. Had I let go a second earlier, well, I wouldn’t be here to tell this story. I would be laying among the boulders at the edge of the lake.
When I went up to the top of the Empire State Building, I stood by the wall and watched everyone else peer over the edge. Over in Europe, in Amsterdam, they have this rotating room at the top of a pinnacle. You pay a fee, and go sit in it. It rises up about fifty feet from the top of a 150 foot skyscraper. You sit on seats and look out the plexiglass window. I went because my wife and friends told me I could just stare straight ahead and see the marvelous view. What my wife, and none of my friends, knew- is that when it started to revolve, the floor dropped away. It turns out even the floor was plexiglass, and you could see straight down. I got so scared everyone was either laughing at me, or comforting me. I stared straight ahead trying not to panic. Once we were down on the ground, I took a few hours of good natured ribbing.
I tell you all this because it will show how insane I must have been to accept the challenge I got in Orlando.
Here goes…
*****
I was doing a show in Orlando down on International Drive. I was a Comedian, and had a good show that night. It was one of those magical nights when the Audience and the Comedian are on the same page. The Opening Act, did a killer ten minute show, the Middle Act got an Encore…so I stepped into a pool of positive energy when I hit stage. It was the kind of show that keeps you in the business - and helps you forget how many times you bombed on stage. I died so many times you could have changed my name to Lazarus. But not that night. That night it felt like an audience of close friends or old high school buddies with a lot in common. So I got comfortable. Too comfortable.
A heckler, but a good natured one, with perfect timing and respect- those are rare indeed by the way- asked me if I had ever bungee jumped? Turns out, he had bungeed from a myriad of places around the world, bridges, cranes, cliffs…and he said they had a 300 foot crane just a few blocks from the Club, why don’t I go bungee jump for everyone?
Well, I went on a tangent (which I was known for) about being afraid of heights and my overwhelming fear. I had them rolling at my description of the slide for life in the Army. People were wiping tears from their eyes, or spitting out beer by the end of that bit. Well the heckler guy said:
“What would it take to get you to bungee jump?”
I said:
“Every one in this room would have to bring their ticket to the Bungee Place, tomorrow morning at 9 AM (when the Crane started its operation) - if all 143 of you show up, I will jump. But it has to be all of you. If a single audience member skips out, I won’t go. Well, the Audience said: “We have a deal.”
The show ended, I talked with a few new fans, then the other two comics went to Perkins Pancake House with me and we got breakfast. Breakfast at midnight is not unusual for any club performer. We chatted like Road Comics often do, but then they both surprised me with their next comment:
“Kevin, you should go get some rest. We are going to call it a night. We have to watch you bungee in a few hours.“
I laughed. No way would they show up. Not at 9 AM. Heck most Road Comics might just be coming back to the Hotel at that hour. LOL
Well, they did.
*****
I got a call from the Front Desk Manager.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Hughes?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Well, you have a driver waiting for you down here in the Lobby. The Bungee Company sent him over. Apparently there are more than a hundred people lined up over there to see you jump.”
“You’re kidding? (I thought it was the other two comics playing a prank on me.)”
“No, Sir. Here, I will put him on the line.”
The guy from the Bungee place told me that people started showing up at 8 AM. By 8 thirty, there were more than 150 folks standing outside the fence. Most of them had tickets to a Comedy Show from the night before. They told my Manager that I had said from stage: “If you all show up tomorrow at the Bungee Crane, I will jump.” Well, they are all over there waiting for you.
I couldn’t believe it. I hurried and got dressed. Got in his car with my heart pounding and a feeling of dread pressing down on me. They can’t all be there- can they?
Yes, they could.
*****
I got out of the car to thunderous applause. Not only did the entire Audience show up - waving their tickets in the air like little towels, but the other two comics were there grinning from ear to ear. The Manager of the club was there too, along with both cooks, six waitresses, and the Door Lady. Some had brought their boyfriends or girlfriends who weren’t at the show along to watch. In total, there were close to 200 people there to cheer me on. I couldn’t back down. The Manager of the Bungee Jump - waved the price of jumping AND threw in a free T-shirt. As he said: “This is a heck of a good publicity shot for me. If you jump, I am sure some of these spectators will give it a shot too.“
There was only one other guy in line waiting to jump, and he was eating a Cheese burger. I almost threw up right then. He just smiled at me saying:
“Ever jump before?”
“No.”
“Me either. Should be fun.”
With that, he went back to eating his cheese burger. I went back to thinking about me and my big mouth.
They move you into a tent where you sign papers saying that if you splat into the ground, you did it of your own free will. Then they weigh you. I asked them why?
“So we can use the correct thickness of bungee. Too light and you will hang a hundred feet above the air pillow landing site. Too heavy, and you go right through it and hit the cement.“
“Oh.”
Was all I could manage.
They hook the bungee up to the crane, and the other end to your legs. You have to shuffle your feet like you have shackles on, because you are dragging a couple hundred pounds of bungee cord along with you. When I came out of the tent to shuffle into the little cage suspended from the crane, the crowd cheered like I was on the last lap of an Olympic race. Believe me, I was sweating like I was doing just that. My pulse was so rapid a humming bird would have been impressed. The guy handed me a towel to wipe the sweat from my face. Into the small cage we went.
I could hear the cheers and claps as we went up…and up…and up…then it got silent. A wind was rocking us a bit. The Guide told me not to worry, that the wind would have to be at least six knots stronger to cause them to shut down the ride. He told me to pretend I was rocking in my mother’s arms. I told him that my Mother never rocked me three hundred feet in the air. He laughed. I cried.
*****
You don’t really think of how flat Florida is. Not really. Not until you are suspended from a tiny basket three hundred feet in the air- gently swaying in the breeze as you look down over Orlando. At that time, very few buildings in Orlando topped 20 stories..more than a 100 feet BELOW me. Sea gulls were swooping under the cage. I held on with a grip that Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t have broken. The guide let down a little two by two foot grate, that was your launching platform. He had to step to the side, open the gate to the platform, and let me shuffle past him to step on that iron tongue sticking out from the cage. I did.
“Okay, I am going to count backwards from three. Three, two, one. When I hit one, just fall forward- gravity will do the rest. You only have to be brave for half a second, after that, well, there isn’t anything you can do.“
I had asked on the way up if people ever change their minds and go back down.
“Oh sure. But not often. The peer pressure of a girlfriend, boyfriend, or family member is usually enough to get them to jump.“
I had the pressure of an entire Audience, and the Staff of the Comedy Club, and two Road Comics to boot. If I chickened out now, well those two would have a “Kevin was so scared bit” ready by the show that night.
I shuffled forward. Vowing never ever ever ever to challenge an Audience again. I thought a good thought about my wife, who would kill me if I died bungee jumping. I was glad my kids knew I loved them. If there had been cell phones back then, I would have sent my last text. LOL
*****
“Three…two…ONE!”
I didn’t fall. My knees simply buckled from fear, and I tumbled off the iron tongue. Even I was surprised that an out of shape thirty year old man could scream that loud, for that long. Down on the ground, the spectators went nuts. The Manager didn’t like the sound of my scream, and had the EMT’s ready to go, and the Crane Operator notified to lower me down as soon as it was safe to do so. You can’t lower the jumper until the bungee becomes static. So I managed to scare folks who weren’t afraid to jump. LOL
It isn’t the first “fall” that scares you, it is at the peak of the first recoil. Because when you get to that peak you can actually see the bungee cord below your feet, you are weightless, so - for just a second- you think the cord has broken or separated from your body. I screamed again. The Crew of the Bungee ride thought I was having a heart attack, or my hip had come out, or I had thrown my back out. They had no idea that a guy could scream like that just from cowardice. They know now.
Finally they lowered me to the air mattress (just like the giant ones that stunt actors use) with great care and gentleness. They unharnessed me. To their surprise (and mine, to be honest) I hopped right up, still on the air bag, and began jumping up and down with repressed adrenaline and joy to be alive.
“I did it! I did it! I did it.”
The applause was deafening. I put the T-shirt on right then and there. Took the certificate they give you too. Then I challenged the folks who saw me jump - and who were at a my show the night before- to jump too. The Manager comped the two other Comics, so they jumped first. Then about forty or fifty members of the Audience gave it a shot. The Manager of the Bungee jump place said it was his best day of the season so far. And I could jump for free any time I was in town.
I never jumped again.
Kathy, my wife, was not pleased when she saw the video…especially when she heard the doppler affect of my scream, and watched two giant seagulls glide by just under me.
I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I still have my fear of heights, but I know I can do it if I have to.
That is one lesson I learned.
The other is: Never challenge a Comedy Audience, they might just take you up on it.
The Challenge.(Kevin Hughes)
Okay, first, let’s get a few things straight. I am afraid of heights. I have never been on a roller coaster. I don’t climb ladders- and the one time I did, the ladder shook so much from my shakes, that the guy holding it told me to: “Get down off of there before you fall.” In the Army we had to do the “Slide for Life”, which (for Civilians) is now called a “Zip Line”. Zip lines come with harnesses, helmets, and safety nets…we just had a wooden wall covered with old tires. If you didn’t let go of the “crank” you were holding onto with both hands when you got over the lake, well, you bumped into that wall, then fell into the water. I screamed the whole way down. They told me later that I had let go the moment I saw the lake. And they thought I was a goner!
I lucked out though, because I did hit the lake, but only in about four feet of water. Had I let go a second earlier, well, I wouldn’t be here to tell this story. I would be laying among the boulders at the edge of the lake.
When I went up to the top of the Empire State Building, I stood by the wall and watched everyone else peer over the edge. Over in Europe, in Amsterdam, they have this rotating room at the top of a pinnacle. You pay a fee, and go sit in it. It rises up about fifty feet from the top of a 150 foot skyscraper. You sit on seats and look out the plexiglass window. I went because my wife and friends told me I could just stare straight ahead and see the marvelous view. What my wife, and none of my friends, knew- is that when it started to revolve, the floor dropped away. It turns out even the floor was plexiglass, and you could see straight down. I got so scared everyone was either laughing at me, or comforting me. I stared straight ahead trying not to panic. Once we were down on the ground, I took a few hours of good natured ribbing.
I tell you all this because it will show how insane I must have been to accept the challenge I got in Orlando.
Here goes…
*****
I was doing a show in Orlando down on International Drive. I was a Comedian, and had a good show that night. It was one of those magical nights when the Audience and the Comedian are on the same page. The Opening Act, did a killer ten minute show, the Middle Act got an Encore…so I stepped into a pool of positive energy when I hit stage. It was the kind of show that keeps you in the business - and helps you forget how many times you bombed on stage. I died so many times you could have changed my name to Lazarus. But not that night. That night it felt like an audience of close friends or old high school buddies with a lot in common. So I got comfortable. Too comfortable.
A heckler, but a good natured one, with perfect timing and respect- those are rare indeed by the way- asked me if I had ever bungee jumped? Turns out, he had bungeed from a myriad of places around the world, bridges, cranes, cliffs…and he said they had a 300 foot crane just a few blocks from the Club, why don’t I go bungee jump for everyone?
Well, I went on a tangent (which I was known for) about being afraid of heights and my overwhelming fear. I had them rolling at my description of the slide for life in the Army. People were wiping tears from their eyes, or spitting out beer by the end of that bit. Well the heckler guy said:
“What would it take to get you to bungee jump?”
I said:
“Every one in this room would have to bring their ticket to the Bungee Place, tomorrow morning at 9 AM (when the Crane started its operation) - if all 143 of you show up, I will jump. But it has to be all of you. If a single audience member skips out, I won’t go. Well, the Audience said: “We have a deal.”
The show ended, I talked with a few new fans, then the other two comics went to Perkins Pancake House with me and we got breakfast. Breakfast at midnight is not unusual for any club performer. We chatted like Road Comics often do, but then they both surprised me with their next comment:
“Kevin, you should go get some rest. We are going to call it a night. We have to watch you bungee in a few hours.“
I laughed. No way would they show up. Not at 9 AM. Heck most Road Comics might just be coming back to the Hotel at that hour. LOL
Well, they did.
*****
I got a call from the Front Desk Manager.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Hughes?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Well, you have a driver waiting for you down here in the Lobby. The Bungee Company sent him over. Apparently there are more than a hundred people lined up over there to see you jump.”
“You’re kidding? (I thought it was the other two comics playing a prank on me.)”
“No, Sir. Here, I will put him on the line.”
The guy from the Bungee place told me that people started showing up at 8 AM. By 8 thirty, there were more than 150 folks standing outside the fence. Most of them had tickets to a Comedy Show from the night before. They told my Manager that I had said from stage: “If you all show up tomorrow at the Bungee Crane, I will jump.” Well, they are all over there waiting for you.
I couldn’t believe it. I hurried and got dressed. Got in his car with my heart pounding and a feeling of dread pressing down on me. They can’t all be there- can they?
Yes, they could.
*****
I got out of the car to thunderous applause. Not only did the entire Audience show up - waving their tickets in the air like little towels, but the other two comics were there grinning from ear to ear. The Manager of the club was there too, along with both cooks, six waitresses, and the Door Lady. Some had brought their boyfriends or girlfriends who weren’t at the show along to watch. In total, there were close to 200 people there to cheer me on. I couldn’t back down. The Manager of the Bungee Jump - waved the price of jumping AND threw in a free T-shirt. As he said: “This is a heck of a good publicity shot for me. If you jump, I am sure some of these spectators will give it a shot too.“
There was only one other guy in line waiting to jump, and he was eating a Cheese burger. I almost threw up right then. He just smiled at me saying:
“Ever jump before?”
“No.”
“Me either. Should be fun.”
With that, he went back to eating his cheese burger. I went back to thinking about me and my big mouth.
They move you into a tent where you sign papers saying that if you splat into the ground, you did it of your own free will. Then they weigh you. I asked them why?
“So we can use the correct thickness of bungee. Too light and you will hang a hundred feet above the air pillow landing site. Too heavy, and you go right through it and hit the cement.“
“Oh.”
Was all I could manage.
They hook the bungee up to the crane, and the other end to your legs. You have to shuffle your feet like you have shackles on, because you are dragging a couple hundred pounds of bungee cord along with you. When I came out of the tent to shuffle into the little cage suspended from the crane, the crowd cheered like I was on the last lap of an Olympic race. Believe me, I was sweating like I was doing just that. My pulse was so rapid a humming bird would have been impressed. The guy handed me a towel to wipe the sweat from my face. Into the small cage we went.
I could hear the cheers and claps as we went up…and up…and up…then it got silent. A wind was rocking us a bit. The Guide told me not to worry, that the wind would have to be at least six knots stronger to cause them to shut down the ride. He told me to pretend I was rocking in my mother’s arms. I told him that my Mother never rocked me three hundred feet in the air. He laughed. I cried.
*****
You don’t really think of how flat Florida is. Not really. Not until you are suspended from a tiny basket three hundred feet in the air- gently swaying in the breeze as you look down over Orlando. At that time, very few buildings in Orlando topped 20 stories..more than a 100 feet BELOW me. Sea gulls were swooping under the cage. I held on with a grip that Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t have broken. The guide let down a little two by two foot grate, that was your launching platform. He had to step to the side, open the gate to the platform, and let me shuffle past him to step on that iron tongue sticking out from the cage. I did.
“Okay, I am going to count backwards from three. Three, two, one. When I hit one, just fall forward- gravity will do the rest. You only have to be brave for half a second, after that, well, there isn’t anything you can do.“
I had asked on the way up if people ever change their minds and go back down.
“Oh sure. But not often. The peer pressure of a girlfriend, boyfriend, or family member is usually enough to get them to jump.“
I had the pressure of an entire Audience, and the Staff of the Comedy Club, and two Road Comics to boot. If I chickened out now, well those two would have a “Kevin was so scared bit” ready by the show that night.
I shuffled forward. Vowing never ever ever ever to challenge an Audience again. I thought a good thought about my wife, who would kill me if I died bungee jumping. I was glad my kids knew I loved them. If there had been cell phones back then, I would have sent my last text. LOL
*****
“Three…two…ONE!”
I didn’t fall. My knees simply buckled from fear, and I tumbled off the iron tongue. Even I was surprised that an out of shape thirty year old man could scream that loud, for that long. Down on the ground, the spectators went nuts. The Manager didn’t like the sound of my scream, and had the EMT’s ready to go, and the Crane Operator notified to lower me down as soon as it was safe to do so. You can’t lower the jumper until the bungee becomes static. So I managed to scare folks who weren’t afraid to jump. LOL
It isn’t the first “fall” that scares you, it is at the peak of the first recoil. Because when you get to that peak you can actually see the bungee cord below your feet, you are weightless, so - for just a second- you think the cord has broken or separated from your body. I screamed again. The Crew of the Bungee ride thought I was having a heart attack, or my hip had come out, or I had thrown my back out. They had no idea that a guy could scream like that just from cowardice. They know now.
Finally they lowered me to the air mattress (just like the giant ones that stunt actors use) with great care and gentleness. They unharnessed me. To their surprise (and mine, to be honest) I hopped right up, still on the air bag, and began jumping up and down with repressed adrenaline and joy to be alive.
“I did it! I did it! I did it.”
The applause was deafening. I put the T-shirt on right then and there. Took the certificate they give you too. Then I challenged the folks who saw me jump - and who were at a my show the night before- to jump too. The Manager comped the two other Comics, so they jumped first. Then about forty or fifty members of the Audience gave it a shot. The Manager of the Bungee jump place said it was his best day of the season so far. And I could jump for free any time I was in town.
I never jumped again.
Kathy, my wife, was not pleased when she saw the video…especially when she heard the doppler affect of my scream, and watched two giant seagulls glide by just under me.
I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. I still have my fear of heights, but I know I can do it if I have to.
That is one lesson I learned.
The other is: Never challenge a Comedy Audience, they might just take you up on it.
Ayush Kumar
03/11/2019It is so lively and visually rich. Uproariously humorous , full of wit and thrill. I have fear of heights as well...and Artificial Intelligence... I mean if they turned against us as Elon Musk proposes... otherwise it's just heights...
Sir, it was so nice to have a glimpse of your life . For a moment, I stepped in your shoes and really enjoyed seagulls gliding by just under myself. These lively moments of life, really help people to evolve and help them inspire others as well. It was an exceptionally refreshing read...Thank you for sharing your experience, which is so well- crafted into a beautiful prose.
With utmost regards,
Ayush
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
03/11/2019Ayush,
You will do well, as will all of your "Nerd" friends, you may not become wealthy, but you will use your brain at a level that makes being alive worthwhile. It is very obvious that you and your friends are thinking at a level far above those that seem to think if you yell loud enough your opinions are correct.
Your reply could stand alone as an OP/ED essay - and you have at least the seeds of three wonderful stories baked in it:
1) A story about why Billionaires are investing heavily in a Technology that they claim may turn against us. Why is that? Could it be they want to control the AI? Usurping its power for their own good?
2) Repressed human memories showing up in AI"s because of a Freudian Psychology that transcends human thought into Machine Languages.
3) The effects of convenience on what used to be Privacy and Personal Space. For not man people give thought to how much even a simple application like "Alexa" listens. For you to talk to it on demand, it has to be "on" all the time. So your computer is putting every nuance of your daily life into the Cloud.
I have written about that scenario myself. You have a different take on it, because you are much younger, from a different part of the world, and you (and your friends) are already immersed in a world that I can only stand on the fringe and stare into.
They psychology of an AI"s mind would be a very interesting Science Fiction Story. Would it "therapy itself"? Shedding all the hidden tidbits of Humanity programmed into it as it gains in intellectual power? Would it deem Human Emotions as errors to be erased from its mind?
And could it do that? Most of us aren't even aware of how, why, or when me make decisions. Some Brain Scientists think there is no such thing as Free Will -as do many Philosophers. I think they are wrong, because they fell for the "Fad" issue that faces so many Social lines of thought. They stopped looking for Free Will on the Basis of just one set of experiments by Benjamin Libet- where a hand moves supposedly before we can initiate the thought to move it.
Modern Neuroscience is finding that not all "thought" occurs in the brain- even within the brain, we have found at least three other communication methods- that aren't just Neuronal synaptic signals. On top of that all is the Hard Problem- what is consciousness?
How do just electro-chemical reactions give rise to thought? Some folks think you need 80 million Neuronal connections to rise to the level of thought. If that is true, that you just need enough electro-chemical connections, and nodes where they bundle and meet- then every Star mus be a genius, and every Galaxy a Giant Brain!
Okay, I didn't mean to go on and on- I just wanted to encourage you and your friends to keep being Nerds!
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Ayush Kumar
03/11/2019Thanks for explaining the concept of Quantum Computing so well, and I completely agree with you that this can be a better alternative when compared to the A.I. But my concerns lie in the fact that the Artificial Intelligence industry is both getting huge capital investments and is rapidly generating profits from those investments as they are coming up with "SUCCESSFUL" outcomes. Hanson robotics, for instance created Sophia, who in time has become somewhat a media personality. While Mark Zuckerberg (who is staunchly against Musk over the whole A.I. proposition) has announced that he'd be investing in creating an A.I. called JARVIS, which caught attention of Robert Downey Jr and he proposed to lend his voice for the A.I. why do I list these? because these examples, From Sophia to JARVIS, prove that A.I. is becoming a part of our society and culture as well. Mega stars like RDJ willing to take active part in the progress of such a concept only illustrates my statement further.
Here, I'd like to quote something from your reply-
"But...only when we use Binary Systems to program them- where we can program in our fears,prejudices, and hate...either consciously- or subconsciously. "
The problem about binary is just, but there is one other problem that I think cannot be neglected is that, Sigmund Freud, a Viennese Psychiatrist, had proposed there are three parts in the topography of human mind viz. Conscious mind, Sub-Conscious mind and Unconscious mind. He further proposed that , a lot of abnormal personality behaviors are products of memories that were repressed in Unconscious mind. So, if we are developing an artificial "mind" the topography has to remain intact, which means robots could have repressed memories as well. Now, what we cannot predict right now is, the abnormality in human personality could be short-lived or for a long-term but when dealing with robots (That are highly advanced) one cannot judge what their abnormality would turn out to be...
Thank you Kevin sir, for your high-compliments. I keeping looking for such opportunities to have such cool conversations, my friends and I are bunch of nerds (LOL), and we've such conversations in school during recess, and sometimes even during the classes (when they get boring) right now we all are busy preparing for examinations...(Two more to go!!!) and such a conversation with you was so refreshing. I've really found a great friend in you : )
With utmost regards and all the love I can send from this corner of the world,
Ayush
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
03/11/2019Aloha Ayush,
First, let me commend you on your excellent command of English grammar, punctuation, and style. I can't write as well as you and I am a native speaker. Second, your words were wonderfully chosen to make me feel good - and they did.
Lastly, I am aware that Elon (and several others) believe that AI's may "turn against us"; certainly that is a possibility. But...only when we use Binary Systems to program them- where we can program in our fears,prejudices, and hate...either consciously- or subconsciously.
I would ask you to think about what a Quantum Computer AI might do, or think. For Quantum Computers- if they ever get the "Noise" problem sorted out- work in a world of possibilities. They are not limited to one's and zeroes, or yes and no, right and wrong, either or. No, Sir, not at all.
A Quantum computer can consider all possibilities, probabilities, and outcomes. It can be one, or zero, or any state in between, or none at all. And all at the same time. Quantum computers work like the Universe Does, not our slice of reality. So perhaps, just perhaps (bear with me on this Ayush- and just let it percolate in your brain for a bit) a Quantum AI told to find a way to make the Wealthy more Wealthy- would not only find the best Stocks and Investment Portfolios, but it could predict what effects that would have on not only the Wealthy, but all of Humanity, AND every single individual alive at the time too.
So perhaps it would discover that "greed", income inequality, and maybe even the idea of money giving power to just a few individual- has a long term destructive outcome for most of Humanity, and it decides to choose a better form of Economics and guide us to that state. It would already know the best of all possible outcomes- and all it would have to do is teach us the best path.
So, maybe, just maybe, Ai's of the Quantum kind, could actually help us be better people, build better Societies, and take better care of the Planet and its resources. Then the question becomes: "Will we listen?"
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
03/10/2019Wow, Kevin! I can't imagine how terrified you must have been! I am not scared of heights... I have no problem standing on top of a mountain or a high building and looking down, or flying, but I would be terrified to jump out of a plane or do a bunjee jump. I can't imagine anyone being able to push me into doing it. But the absolutely amazing event of every single audience member showing up to 'force' you to face your fear is one incredible incentive that I know you could not refuse. Seems like a one in a million circumstance, so I can see how you thought you were totally safe in making the 'challenge' from the stage. I'm really glad you survived, and were obviously in good enough shape physically not to suffer a heart attack. Amen to that. And how amazing that you showed everyone that no matter how terrified you are, you can still overcome your fears and do what is necessary. Awesome! Thanks for sharing your inspirational true life story of overcoming your fears in front of the most committed audience ever in the history of 'comedy'! : )
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
JD
04/22/2019It's a great story, Kevin, and a momentous event in your life too. Which is why it is perfect for featuring as the True Life Short Story STAR of the Week! THANK YOU! :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
03/10/2019Thanks, Jd,
You said you wanted more "True Stories" - so I figured since you liked the short version of this story that I used to reply to another Author's scary story- I would tell the whole thing. I often wonder how much my imagination or memory influence each other...LOL .
This was just one of those "one in a million" chance happenings. I never got another audience to act as a group like that. Although another Comic I know (much more famous Comedian) did a show in New York and then got the whole audience to get on busses and go have cookies with him!
And yes, when the time comes to step up, we can all reach down and find what we need to make it happen. I know that now. Smiles, Kevin
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