A Malaysian woman who’s trying to reclaim a world record by living in a locked glass box with more than 6,000 scorpions has been stung once, is suffering a fever and scarcely sleeps because the creatures keep crawling over her.
What I find the most interesting in this article is the following quote:
“Nighttime is the worst,” she said. “I can only sleep two or three hours, since scorpions get so active at night. But I want to show that Malaysians are capable of world-class efforts.”
Okay, first of all…sleep during the day. Secondly…yeah, I’m sure Malaysia’s PR will shoot through the roof after this.
I mean, really. “Capable of world-class efforts”? She decided she wanted to make a mark on the world, and this is the path she chose? I don’t consider this a world-class effort. It’s world-class stupidity. If she wanted to make a real effort, she could have become a doctor or scientist or engineer and actually helped the world.
I don’t want to belittle what she’s doing here. I mean, despite there being absolutely no point at all to it, it is difficult to spend over a month in a glass box with scorpions. But once it’s over–assuming she doesn’t die–where has that gotten her? A few articles in the “Odd News” sections of world newspapers? A record that she’ll have to surpass in another few years after another nutcase breaks it?
What is the point of this effort, Nur Malena? Does it better you as a person? Does it better the world?
It’s an endurance exercise…it may help her build mental strength, but she can’t put “stayed in box with scorpions” on her resume. “Stayed in box with scorpions” doesn’t feed starving children in third world countries, or cure cancer.
“World-class effort”…I just can’t get over that.