The Titan submersible story has been burning through the news over the past few days. Five people remain missing after an exploratory dive into the ocean to visit the ruins of the Titanic. At this point, it appears as if all realistic options to rescue the missing five are now futile. 

Apparently no rescue vehicles are able to reach the depths where the submersible unit could be, and even worse – no one actually knows where the missing people are. Once again, the vast oceans around us have revealed themselves to be reckoned with. All we can do at this stage is to bear heart and soul with the families of those missing from this tragic event. 

However, as difficult as this might be – it is worth noting that the people who took a chance on this deep diving trip would have done so out of a sheer passion and drive for the adventure that beckoned. A chance to see the Titanic, and a chance to dive deep underwater into a place where very few people will ever set eyes on. 

The chance. The experience. The drive, adrenaline and risk. 

The risk. 

At times risk is in a polygamous marriage with passion, which in turn is a partner to ambition. 

As driven and passionate people, we sometimes take certain risks that most do not understand. Most people do not understand why someone would build a tiny tin canister that has the ability to deep dive the oceans. Most people don’t understand why someone would want to be stuck in the same tin, floating at the bottom of the ocean with four other guys and in a vehicle that doesn’t even have a seat and only has one toilet. Most people do not understand this. 

Yet this is true, most people will never understand what drives us, and most will never understand our passions or why we take great risks that sometimes are at our detriment. 

But it’s the passion. The passion to live out your dreams, and the passion to take that first step into the unknown. This is a scary concept, and at times the stone has to roll beyond the hill. 

I think the people who took that dive understood the risks at hand, and even embraced them. Unfortunately, it appears as if they may have passed on whilst taking that first step beyond the abyss. If so, we should learn from this event and appreciate why they endeavoured to risk it all. 

It’s the passion. The passion to take that one step beyond the normal. The passion to live. Above all, the passion to live and do or die for what you love.

It’s the passion to believe.

Some people dive into the oceans. Sometimes I ride brakeless. I love my bikes, I love my life.

For me cycling is a passion that rolls beyond the roads, and through all the forbidden hills that are dark and cold. 

So,

Let’s ride.