How Long and Where is Any Length?

Have you ever wondered how far you would go to achieve something? Of course many of us have some one or thing in mind when we wonder this.  Most mothers state they would (and do) limitless things for their children.  Some leaders have gone so far as to give up their freedom (Nelson Mandela) and their political life altogether (Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh) to stand by their beliefs:  Equality for all people regardless of color in case of the former, and an end to “too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem solving” (ABC News), in the case of the later.  There are times I would do crazy things for a mushroom cheeseburger with a black-and-white milk shake.

I have heard people say they would go to any length for the particular thing they were they envisioned as their goal. But what does this really mean. Is this a lofty statement? By this I mean if you were really called on to go to this “any length”, where would it take you? And, is it a physical length or a mental breaking point, or do the two occur together?

Here’s a few facts to ponder about distance:

• The first person to run around the world was Robert Garside, completing 30,000 miles in 6 years.  (Guinness World Records).
• A female Alaskan shorebird flew nonstop from Alaska to New Zealand (7,145 miles) —without taking a break for food or drink— in nine days. (National Geographic).
• The longest major league baseball home run is 634 feet, by Mickey Mantle in on September  of1960 (Gunnies World Records); though measuring this particular statistic is hotly debated (for you science types see this article on Slate; and baseball fans go here).
• Benoit Lecomte swam the Atlantic Ocean (3 736 nautical miles) in 1998, apparently driven to do so to raise awareness and money for cancer research, after his father died from colon cancer in 1992. (Read more here.)

• The longest range recorded for a sniper kill was in 2002, during the war in Afghanistan, by Canadian Master Corporal Rob Furlong, at just over one and half miles (that’s 2,430 meters for everyone else using the metric system). (Wikipedia)

Maybe you are the relentless type and would stop at nothing. Or maybe you are passionate and driven, but know your limitation.  I have fantasized about certain “types” of people who would (or should) possess this selfless and unyielding qualities.  Parents are always at the top of this list, followed by soldiers (though they have no choice), and often doctors. Though I recently read that according to an Investor’s Business Daily poll (conducted September 2009), 45% of doctors said they would quit or retire early if the Democratic health-care bill passes in Congress.

Maybe it is better only know and judge your own limitations.

I am a classic justifier.  I can rationalize any reason to stop or give up on something. I am not a big quitter, though I do have an awful lot of bosses in my past. I simply am someone who feels that perhaps only a handful of things (actually mostly people) should be held in such regard as to push oneself to the edge (or wherever “any length ends). I believe this because it makes life simple, keeps me humble and is realistic. My “any lengths” are the safety and well being of my husband, lending an ear (and usually keeping quiet) for a friend, defending anyone being harmed in my presence, and preserving my sanity.