Intensity

Live your life with intensity. Savor every sensation, whether it causes pleasure or physical pain. Enjoy it all.
It's an interesting concept, I think. Nothing that hasn't been suggested before, I'm sure, but nonetheless something to dwell on...which is what I've been doing since I read a book this weekend, simply titled Intensity, by Dean Koontz. I find it fascinating how the character (a horrific killer) is completely consumed by every sound, smell, taste, etc. that he experiences. He lives his life to experience every sensation to its ultimate extent. In one sense I find experiencing everything to such an extent, with such intensity, exhuasting. But on the other hand, consider how...vivid and intense, for lack of better words...life would be if everything were experienced to its fullest (killing people and animals aside, of course). You certainly couldn't say you hadn't led a rich and fulfilling life.
But how much intensity is good? At what point does it become obsessive, psychotic, and unhealthy, both to the person trying to experience life to its fullest, and to those inadvertantly affected by him/her?
I guess it amounts to this: People enjoy life in different ways. What they do, and how they do it are the determinants in whether it's an obsessive and/or psychotic act, or just a strong desire to live life to the hilt.
I guess this is where extreme sports come in-- poeple who love to take risks and live life on the edge. Some (many a time, myself included) find extreme sports to be just that-- extreme. Why risk your life just to get a thrill?
I don't like to take risks (although my parents would say that my driving habits suggest otherwise-- I disagree, of course). I prefer to stay on the safe side if at all possible. That might be the smartest thing to do, but it isn't always as fun. It can be rather limiting, too. Is a life, sans taking risks, worth living?
"If you never risk anything, you risk even more." ~Erica Jong
I struggle with taking risks, taking chances, putting trust and faith in people...I want to live my life with intensity, with no regrets, and enjoy and appreciate (or at the very least, accept) everything that comes my way. It's always easier said than done, though...