Could you be Indiana Jones?

bingothehutt

New member
So here's the question... could you rise to the occasion of being a real life Indiana Jones? Not just a college professor, not just an archeologist, but if faced with imminent death, crack off a wise comment, somehow escape, and win the day? Strange question, I know. Most would of course say no. Such "heroic" escapes seldom happen in real life. Do you think you could TRY though? People do amazing things when they're pressed to do it. So my question is, if you were put in his shoes, could you step off into nothing, or out run a boulder, or willingly walk into extreme danger JUST to get to the next piece of the puzzle. (And to kick off the hopefully honest responses, I'll put in my answer -- NO! haha. I'm near 40, pudgy, and petrified of heights.)

So let's hear from all of you? Do you have what it takes to be Indy? And remember, be honest! Tell the truth, shame the devil! haha.
 

Goodeknight

New member
bingothehutt said:
So here's the question... could you rise to the occasion of being a real life Indiana Jones? Not just a college professor, not just an archeologist, but if faced with imminent death, crack off a wise comment, somehow escape, and win the day? Strange question, I know. Most would of course say no. Such "heroic" escapes seldom happen in real life. Do you think you could TRY though? People do amazing things when they're pressed to do it. So my question is, if you were put in his shoes, could you step off into nothing, or out run a boulder, or willingly walk into extreme danger JUST to get to the next piece of the puzzle. (And to kick off the hopefully honest responses, I'll put in my answer -- NO! haha. I'm near 40, pudgy, and petrified of heights.)

So let's hear from all of you? Do you have what it takes to be Indy? And remember, be honest! Tell the truth, shame the devil! haha.

Well, I think the real catch you present is the wisecracking. If I had to, I might be able to outrun a slow boulder to save my skin, or face great danger to save a loved one. BUT, if I had to speak to the bad guy who put me in peril, I'd probably fumble through it because I'd be shaking in my Aldens. So I might pull of the stunt, but I probably wouldn't look cool doing it.

That said, I'm sure I'd think of the perfect one liner about three hours after the fact.
 

Dr Bones

New member
I normally have some cheesey pun for any given situation but although people say I have a quick humour I think most of my qiuips are groanworthy or a little inappropriate!

I am not brave so it depends on the situation, facing certain death and peril of my loved ones, I wouald say no. I probably would take on a more reassuring role towards them for their sake.

I am a family man not an adventurer who can have reckless abandon with his life.

I possibly have it in me but can't see a situation where I could afford to be glib in the face of death.

In my youth maybe, but my wits were a little lower back then!
 

Darth Vile

New member
Oh yeah... I'm a veritable Indiana Jones. I don't like spiders, don't like planes... and I'm not that good on boats. ;)
 

Dr Bones

New member
Darth Vile said:
Oh yeah... I'm a veritable Indiana Jones. I don't like spiders, don't like planes... and I'm not that good on boats. ;)
...


Oh yeah....snakes....I'm with Indy on that....shudder!!! :eek: Nope...no snakes. Not the best flyer either.

A bit claustrophobic too.

I'd be a rubbish Indy!

Did have a dangerous expeirence with a dinghy exept mine was in water and not falling from a plane!

It had a puncture, it was a 1 man boat with 4 of us inside...I had broken the only oar whacking at a crab on the beach (the crab was already dead and decomposing). The tide was taking us out faster than we could paddle and we were sinking on our deflating boat. None of us were the best of swimmers in the sea and it gets pretty choppy at times.

We had really thought it through!

I may have made some cheap "up a certain creek and I had broken the paddle" but it was over 20 years ago.

Obvioulsy we made it back eventually.
 

bingothehutt

New member
Could you be Indy?

I'm with you guys. I've never been that adventurous, but other than the odd misadventure while doing something normal, I doubt I could fill his fedora! Part of me would like to think I could, but the part that lives in reality knows better!

Good example: I recently thought of taking a zipline adventure, just to say I had conquered it. Shortly before that though, I found myself at a meager height, and totally froze up. The zipline I was contemplating had a 400 foot run at a height of over 300 feet. I gratefully accepted the home game, and called it a day...

Oh well, I guess the important thing is to be like Indy in your mind! Always seeking, always daring, even if bad backs and panic attacks keep us from swinging from German castles! haha.
 

Goodeknight

New member
bingothehutt said:
I'm with you guys. I've never been that adventurous, but other than the odd misadventure while doing something normal, I doubt I could fill his fedora! Part of me would like to think I could, but the part that lives in reality knows better!

Good example: I recently thought of taking a zipline adventure, just to say I had conquered it. Shortly before that though, I found myself at a meager height, and totally froze up. The zipline I was contemplating had a 400 foot run at a height of over 300 feet. I gratefully accepted the home game, and called it a day...

Oh well, I guess the important thing is to be like Indy in your mind! Always seeking, always daring, even if bad backs and panic attacks keep us from swinging from German castles! haha.

You have a good attitude, Bingo. Look at it this way: If any of Indy's adventures happened in real life, he would have died dozens of times. One guy can't face dozens of Nazis, dozens of Hovitos with spears and poison tipped arrows, ride a submarine (without drowning) for a hundred miles, etc., etc. So trying to be 'just like Indy' would really be rather foolish and almost certainly deadly.

We have fear for a reason. It keeps us alive. Sure the zip line was perfectly safe. But you look at it and your body says, "Are you nuts? We're not supposed to fly through the air 300 feet off the ground!"

I've seen this quote a few ways, and seen it attributed to different people, but "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting in spite of it." The other way I've seen it is, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."

So forget about zip lines, scuba diving, parachuting, and the like. The test of our Indyness is whether or not we can step up to the plate and face our fears when it counts. Indy wasn't an adrenaline junky thrill seeker. He did what he did to free enslaved children, rescue friends, and save his dad's life.

Heroes aren't made by zip lines. Heroes help people and put others first.
 

Ska

New member
If I was Indy, I would have turned right back around after seeing all the spiders in the Chachapoyan Temple.

"Come to think of it, Satipo, the Fertility Idol is all yours."
 

IAdventurer01

Well-known member
This is one of those things that most of us probably cannot answer except if we are actually confronted with such a dangerous scenario. I would like to think I would suck it up and roll with the punches, but I don't know if my nerves would get the better of me.

However, if I did land myself into a full fledged Indy-style adventure, I do know this - I would end up taking the Nathan Drake route. "Well, this has gotten absurdly too dangerous - I'm out of here." But, then get sucked back in for one reason or another. :p
 

Mickiana

Well-known member
Well. I can crack a whip, shoot a gun, I have flown a plane for a small bit (and done a landing too), I can ride a horse, I can be academic if I want too (been at uni), I can be a wise ass (my trade as a boilermaker has taught me some smart arse humour), I use to collect fossils and semi precious stones as a kid, I'm not married, I have no kids that I'm aware of, I like museums and antiques and old stuff, I have plenty of Indy gear, I can fight to defend myself, I'm a sucker for my ex girlfriends, but.......... I'm no Indy!
 

DocWhiskey

Well-known member
I would always daydream of myself being Indiana Jones. Fighting baddies, saving the damsel, finding the treasure. But I always joked that if it was reality and I did try to be a famous explorer, I'd get my head loped off like that poor guard in LC. My adventure would last 10 minutes.
 

Thundermug

New member
I'll try to answer based on personal experience:

I was mugged at gunpoint a few months back. I had my new Mac laptop, credit cards, keys to the car, and all he got was $7. He says, "Is this all you got?". All I said was, "Yeah." Then he walked away. I walked inside, shaking like a leaf. No snappy remark, no fistfight, no epic chase.

On the other hand, I can improvise a fix for most household and outdoor situations. I'm better suited to fight the elements and fix broken stuff, I suppose.

No, I'd say I'm more of a Macgyver. :( That sucks. The poor man's Indiana Jones.

macgyver.jpg
 

Meerkat

New member
I'd be a terrible Indiana Jones. Can't shoot, can't crack a whip, can't do stunts to save my life?I'll stick to novel writing.
 

JuniorJones

TR.N Staff Member
Many years ago, just after seeing the Hunt for Red October I was mugged by two young gentleman, both from Liverpool with one of them carrying a rather large knife.

On exiting the theatre, they collared me into a side street and demand my money. I checked my pockets and pulled out some small change.

All I could say was "if you need it more than me..." and gave them the money.

Bizarrely, the one without the knife said "Look mate, we didn't mean it like, take it back!".

Subsequently, in some form of twisted logic we got into an arguement with me insisting they take the money until I said "What kind of robbers are you if you can't take the money!!".

The robber without the Knife started to laugh where as he proberly decided this was a bit daft and got his mate to walk away.

Still, they took the money for whatever it was worth.
 

indyclone25

Well-known member
i think if i had to, i would be a good indy jones. i would not stand by if a criminal was robbing a store i think if i could figure out a safe way to get his attention or join in the fight to stop him i would , i have stood up for women before when they needed someone to step in when their drunk boyfriends acted stupid . so i think if i needed to be i could be the hero . i can use a whip and have rode horses too , thing to do when i was younger , but you never lose those skills .i have fallen on my back hard and rolled down a conveyor belt where i worked to play"stunts " with some of the guys . so i'm in ok shape , but the years are getting there too , lol . but all and all i think there wouldnt be any danger i'm afraid of , well of course snakes, i can't stand them , i got over my fear of planes . but some heights still rattle my nerves .
 
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XanaduEli

Member
Well if Indiana was a 14 year old girl then i would hopefully make a good one,

i can fight(had practice fighting with my brother),I am a bit of a geek at archeology, i am very adventurous when it come to being outside(climbing trees and rocks and exploring everything) and im not particularly scared of bugs and creatures,

and my brother taught me how shoot with guns,(we used a pellet gun while practicing)

it would be something different to do, im either always drawing, writing or doing something on the computer.:whip:
 

Yure

Well-known member
Mmmm... I teach at the university and when possible I travel the world, possibly on motorcycle. Can't fight, but I'm well fit, have a good wit and my student girls love me :D
I think I can make a good 50-60% Indy XD
 

indyt

Active member
Not even close to the real thing, I have had many adventures on my missions trip. Jumped out of planes, climbed mountains, treked up a volcano, dived all over the world, etc. Never been chased by natives, but have been in sticky situations.
 

Thundermug

New member
indyt said:
I have had many adventures on my missions trip.

Yup, that certainly helps. I've been to the mountains of Jamaica and to South Korea on missions trips. Also to the Chicago area, but I grew up in Peoria, so its not all that exotic.

Where have you served?
 
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