Man vs. Wild

So, there's this show on the Discovery Channel that I've just recently gotten into.

Man vs. Wild.

Needless to say, it's incredible. It follows Bear Grylls, an ex-SAS British Special Service agent, and the youngest briton to ever scale Mt. Everest at age 23.

The premise of the show - Bear drops into remote parts of the world, often parachuting or paragliding in. From there, he's on his own. With just a water bottle, a knife, and a flint, he begins his survival campaign in search of civilization.

Many have knocked the show for the simple fact that this guy, who is slightly crazy, is followed around by a camera crew, so I mean, how bad could it really be, and come on, they have supplies don't they? Apparently, a camera crew of 2 follows his exploits with the proper food, supplies, and protection they need. But they're not aloud to help Bear... And if that really keeps you from enjoying the show, or thinking he's credible, then just chill out, relax, and be entertained.

From eating snakes, to drinking his own urine, Bear does things you thought were impossible. Like the time he was in the Sierra Nevadas, carved an Indian throwing stick, and from 20 yards away, flung it at a rabbit, struck it, and killed it for food. What was I doing while this was happening? Sitting on my couch eating fritos.

I love this show. Not just because he's fun to watch and does things you know you would never have the guts to do, but because it makes me think about survival.

Isn't it amazing to see at what lanks humans will go to survive? We all have heard the stories, the heroism. That hiker who was trapped under a boulder a few years back and cut his own arm off with a pen-knife. What brings a person to do that? There's something deep within humanity. An innate desire to live. Breathe. That, cannot be duplicated.

Although Man vs. Wild presents a more lighthearted approach to survival, I can't help but think of what I'd do to live.

What we all would do to live.