The title is very true. Just a couple of months back, a person lost his life and others were critically injured in an attempt to break the record of driving a bike through fire tunnel.

I thought about this obsession and why we are the ones hell bent on setting a new record.


I concluded that the answer lies in the human need for attention and the want to be famous. Guiness book is the world's authority in keeping track of these records and, while it will involve some risk/talent on the doers part, it puts the person in world's arena without much help from the costly publicists.

That's what these people think; one thing they forget is outside of the record community and people in our part of the world, not too many people think of the record holders. They have heard of Guiness book but don't really care who set the record and what the record was.

They might get some momentary fame and might even get some money through limited sponsorship; but they have to realize that people don't care about these records as much as they would like to think. It doesn't really make them famous. Name the person (or his country) who set the record for most number of ping pong balls inside his mouth? Who cares??

I don't care much for records like longest handshake, TV interview etc; but the risky records should be given more thoughts and shouldn't be encouraged.