Remembering Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter"!

[Dien Rice]

As many of you would have heard, Steve Irwin (the "Crocodile Hunter" from TV) was killed yesterday. He was killed by a stingray while making a documentary...

I was saddened at the news, and I know I wasn't the only one. Looking at the Yahoo News most popular news items http://news.yahoo.com/i/964, 3 of the top 10 most viewed news items at the time of posting this were about Steve Irwin. I also checked a little earlier, and then, 4 news items in the top 10 were about him! Clearly Steve Irwin was loved the world over...

The strange thing, in my case, though, was - I've hardly watched his show. I've maybe seen him a couple of times on his show, and a couple of times on "talk shows", and that's about it. Yet, when I heard the news yesterday, it affected me emotionally... And talking to others I know, I wasn't the only one.

Why would I feel like that - when I had hardly even watched his show?

I think it's because... Well...

It's a little like Gordon Alexander writes about in the "White Bread Post" http://www.sowpub.com/story-whitebread.shtml ... where Gordon tells his story of selling plain, white bread... And how he became genuinely enthusiastic about all the things you can do with white bread! That's how he was able to sell out of bread!

The lesson?

You can’t do anything well without enthusiasm!

Steve Irwin was always amazingly enthusiastic about what he was doing... And he wanted to share that enthusiasm with everyone else! I think it was hard not to get caught up in it too!

Just a little post to remember a great man...

and a good lesson we can all learn from him, and remember him by...

- Dien Rice

I to watch him very seldom but knew him as a brave and sometime fooless man. But loved by all. Maybe that is it. I don't know but when a man dies it takes something out of all of us. I mean women too.

Funny how "nobody" watches him (or admits it!) but everybody "knows" him.

I think you're on to something Dien, though he's not on a regular playlist, he was UNFORGETTABLE.

I was thinking about the Fed Ex ad he did after hearing he was killed. In that ad he pretended to get bit by a venemous snake but "no worries" the serum was coming by Fed Ex... right? No, so he died... in the commercial.

Sadly, he really DID die this time.

He will be forgotten with sorrow may he rest in peace.

I think it affects us because he was a genuine person. What you saw what exactly what he was. There was no facade to decipher, no agenda. Just a truly passionate person into his work. And I got the feeling that he was trying to tell us something that he thought was important for us to know.

I was reading through some of the 1,000's of postings on MSN...

Very, Very Sad... But he Truly loved what he did and people loved him. How many people can say that about their Lives. He Enjoyed every minute to the Fullest and Moved on doing what he Loved!

If you believe in reincarnation, he'll be Back... If you're like me, We've been here in Life a few times before and we'll be back for more.

Steve Irwin will be missed...

http://tinyurl.com/mvsuc

Although I do remember, he took a Big chance with his son when he was a baby. Thank god he was Ok But that one got him Lots of Bad Publicity...

Photo: Australia's crocodile hunter Steve Irwin holds his one-month-old baby ... The stunt drew comparisons with Michael Jackson dangling his baby son over ...

Crocodile hunter slammed for baby stunt
http://evalu8.org/staticpage?page=review&siteid=6243

Phil

Dien,

Frankly, I'm fed up with hearing about Steve Irwin.

He was Not a Great Man, he was just a man, like you, me, anyone. In fact, there are other Men who we will never know, who are Much greater. Men who have struggled their entire lives to raise a family and instill Good values into their children, and as a result, end up with children who treat people well. They do not put on fake enthusiasm everytime the camera is on them, and jump around like they've had too much coffee. Who aren't hypociritcal. And who love their family more than life. And have laid their life on the line to fight in other people's wars in the belief they are doing the right thing by their country.

Just because someone gets a few minutes of TV time does Not make them great.

Onwad.

The poster who mentioned the FedEx ad... it's these kinds of things I dislike about people acting in a way in which they sustain injuries. Christopher Reeve, Steve Irwin. Their lives following their rolls?

Michael Ross

[Ankesh]

Hi Michael,

People talk about people they know.

And because of the TV - millions of people knew Steve Irwin.

And so they all are talking about him now that he is dead. Just because its getting to be too much - so many people talking - doesn't make the man "not great."

"Untimely" death usually wins peoples sympathies. And the person is elevated to a higher position than he should be (And maybe thats why more people cried when princess Diana died than when mother Teresa died). But that still doesn't make him "not great." It may make him "not as great." But thats a judgement call.

I think Steve Irwin was a hero for many. Many got inspired by him. And that makes him great in my eyes.

Ankesh,

Thanks for jumping in.

I guess I have higher standards when it comes to declaring a person to be Great.

Michael Ross

[Ankesh]

Originally Posted by MichaelRoss

I guess I have higher standards when it comes to declaring a person to be Great.

Michael Ross

Ah - thats definately true.

Because I do hold the mushy sounding notion that greatness lies in everyone.

Originally Posted by Ankesh

Ah - thats definately true.

Because I do hold the mushy sounding notion that greatness lies in everyone.

In which case, the Power of the word is diluted and is as effective as declaring a person to be Human. As in, there goes Steve Irwin, a Human Being.

And also, if used for one person, we should thus use it for all people, all the time as well. And again, the Power of the word is diluted to virtual nothingness.

Michael Ross