The bravest wimp in the world
Is it just me or does everyone think they are the bravest wimp in the world?
I'm not a big fan of heights. Despite what you might have heard on the radio, I don't believe I have acrophobia, merely a healthy respect for the danger involved in being off the ground.
Today I am tackling the SkyPoint Climb at Q1 on the Gold Coast, Australia's highest external building walk.
Before the walk, I'll be forced to travel on Australia's fastest elevator, up 77 flights in just 42.7 seconds. Once on the spire I'll be 322.5 metres off the ground. Outside.
I feel physically ill just thinking about it.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with cautious respect for gravity. Rather than being mocked as a fear, I think it should be celebrated for its role in evolution. Without a couple of sensible cave girls to remind the rest of you not to stand too close to the cliff, we never would have made it to 2012.
Obviously, some people are more cautious than others and scientists are divided on why. One school of thought suggests an event linking height to emotional trauma causes acrophobia. That trigger could be anything from a real life scare, to a movie scene or even just witnessing someone else's fear of heights.
The other school of thought suggests it is biological. In simple terms, it's about balance. And this is my problem, I think, because I suffer terribly with motion sickness.
Basically, people with inner ear problems need visual processing to keep their balance. The higher up you go, the more you can see, the more the visual cortex is weighed down and the dizzier you feel. So the sick feeling I have in my stomach right now is not about a fear of falling or lack of faith in the structural integrity of the Q1 building, it's my body's way of protecting me from feeling confused and off balance.
And just in case I die this morning, there is something I think you should know.
Climbing the sky tower is not something I would do for fun. Ever. Then again, neither is jumping out of a plane, doing a rollover in a stunt truck, going on the bungy bullet or holding a snake. These are all things I have done for my work.
So, when the state coroner calls in the forensic psychologist, tell them from me not to waste time looking for acrophobia. The problem is clearly fear of saying no.
