Was it Time to Stop?

I have been listening to many discussions among friends and all over the media outlets about Steve Iriwn's death and a topic came up that I found interesting.

When Steve found out Terri was pregnant with their daughter, should he have stopped chasing dangerous animals to focus on his family? His life was quite the dangerous one and ultimately it was the cause of his death, should he have passed the responsibility to someone else so he would not have put his family in this position? Do you think the animals were a higher priority to him then his family?

First off, since he grew up around those same animals, it wasn't anymore dangerous than driving to work in LA. For HIM.
Secondly remember that he was NOT pursueing dangerous animals when he died. He was snorkeling around the reef, and went over top of a stingray which was startled into a defense reaction in a one in a million shot.
People are constantly talking about how he messed with dangerous animals, but we all should think about the fact that he was just snorkeling around when he was killed. I've done the same, had a friend who was at the Great Barrier Reef recently snorkeling and diving within the last month. She wasn't "cheating death".
In my opinion, no, he should have been doing exactly what he was, and would have kept doing it until physically unable to do it anymore.
Wolfy

It's not a question of what was a higher priority for him. That was his purpose in life as he saw it.
Should a Marine Corp soldier not re-enlist because his wife got pregnant? Should a race car driver give it up because he has a family too?
Should only those who are single with minimal responsibilities consider a dangerous career for fear of being accused of putting their families second?

He did not only what he felt he was put on this earth to do, he did what he loved. The segment he was filming when he was killed was actually for Bindi's upcoming show. Steve was very much a family man. He did not put his career above his family, he brought them with him into it and it was something that defined them as a family, not just Steve alone.
His death, while tragic, was not the result of some selfish refusal on his part to give up a dangerous occupation. For him is wasn't even a job, it was a purpose.
We all should wish to have a purpose in life that we are driven by and can pursue with that level of enthusiasm and dedication. Instead the vast majority of the world's population is basically finding ways to pass the time until they die, and when they do, there will be little if any evidence of their passing through. But Steve's legacy will endure for years to come, not only through his work on television, but through what he has instilled in his family and no doubt many of those who worked with him every day.

I don't think he should have quit. It would have made him a different man.

It was just dumb luck for lack of better verbiage.

Should everyone who does venom extraction stop because they have a family, what about the military?

Steve Iriwin took a lot of unnecessary risks when dealing with animals, he could have toned that down, but to completely stop doing it would be ridiculous. Because of him and his ways with dealing with animals he created a fan base and a great opportunity to educate the general public.

Lying on the ground and letting a Brown Snake crawl around him was not the smartest thing he could have done, but it also showed that it was not out to kill humans.

I am all about the conservation of animals and educating the public about the importance of animals (mainly reptiles), but I also do it so my daughter can see them in the wils not in a book. I am sure that Steve felt the same way.

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

It's not a question of what was a higher priority for him. That was his purpose in life as he saw it.
Should a Marine Corp soldier not re-enlist because his wife got pregnant? Should a race car driver give it up because he has a family too?
Should only those who are single with minimal responsibilities consider a dangerous career for fear of being accused of putting their families second?

He did not only what he felt he was put on this earth to do, he did what he loved. The segment he was filming when he was killed was actually for Bindi's upcoming show. Steve was very much a family man. He did not put his career above his family, he brought them with him into it and it was something that defined them as a family, not just Steve alone.
His death, while tragic, was not the result of some selfish refusal on his part to give up a dangerous occupation. For him is wasn't even a job, it was a purpose.
We all should wish to have a purpose in life that we are driven by and can pursue with that level of enthusiasm and dedication. Instead the vast majority of the world's population is basically finding ways to pass the time until they die, and when they do, there will be little if any evidence of their passing through. But Steve's legacy will endure for years to come, not only through his work on television, but through what he has instilled in his family and no doubt many of those who worked with him every day.

His children now do not have father. He was out filming a show about the most dangerous animals in the ocean. Sure the military, police, and firefighters job are for the "greater good" and cannot just put that aside when they have children, but Steve easily could have stopped and would not be dead today because he was looking for the dangerous animals in the ocean. His children would still have a father.

but does that mean he should stop doing what he loved. In that case Bill Haast should have quit along time ago when he had children. Anyone who deals with venomous snakes, crocodilians and large constictors should stop as well. There are people whose jobs are to stop poachers, since they have children should they pass the torch.

I am sure he and his wife discussed this before having children. This was something that he believed in and his passion. He admitted time and time again that he was an adrenaline junkie, that is why he liked getting close to the animals. That is not uncommon, there are thousand of people who are the same way, and to ask someone to stop doing what they loved is, IMO, selfish.

Look at stuntmen, they are paid to make a movie look more realistic, I think that it was Spiderman 2 that one of them were killed. Evel Kneivel has at least one child that I know of, and I think his son does too. Man look at the DOT guys. There was 51 killed in work zones. How many of them have children.

He died doing what he loved, I think that most people would like to die that way, I know I would.

Very good posts everyone! I was involved in the same discussion that I started, but in defense of Steve Irwin. What I was affected by, Steve and his father both removed crocodiles from newly developing areas to protect both the humans and the animals from encounters that would end in the death of both parties. That to me was the higher cause the Irwin family fought for.

I would not be surprised if 10 years from now we see Bindi and Bob on TV playing with dangerous animals and doing just what their father did. Terri would probably be right there with them. I believe all of us have a purpose on this earth. Steve obviously found his. For him to stop just because his "life" changed a bit would be selling himself short.