Death Wish? Return to Childhood?

As I was thinking about New Year's day, and New Year's eve, I thought that the theme for many people on New Year's day was "tomato juice".  Something to relieve the pain of the hangover.  Quiet.  A chance to moan, maybe.

I wonder why people feel they are most alive when they are courting oblivion?  Not just when drinking alcohol to excess, or messing with illegal drugs or abuse of legal drugs, but skiing right at the edge of a cliff, or driving totally recklessly, or committing acts of violence?  Even routine overeating, even skating on known thin ice, even listening to music that is W A A A Y too loud, overloading the autditory system and damaging one's ability to hear.

Is this a death wish?  Or is it a desire to return to childhood where someone else was "to blame" for bad things.

• "Mom should have kept me away from those boys."  
• "Dad should never have trusted me with that car."  
• "My friends should not have gone along with my idea."

When we were children, there was a mixture of truth and error in these comments.  Now that we are grown, responsible for our own actions, not so much.

What do you think?  What indulgences, risks and scary behavior to you feel are right and necessary so that you can feel alive?  Leave a comment and let us know.