Without a Net

First times.

I'm fascinated by them. The incarnation of someone testing something out and either failing or discovering something new about their world or themselves is an unmatchable feat.

Think of all the inane things humans do. The things beyond nature - the things beyond our evolutionary need to survive. Some examples: The Trapeze: Who was the first person (or persons) to build a contraption that could kill you or make you soar through the air with exhilaration? What would drive someone to invent such a thing? And then make it an everyday thing?

Drinking cow's milk: Who was the first person to go up to a cow and say, "Whatever comes out of these things when i squeeze 'em. . .i'm drinking." ?

There are more examples of course, but the main point is one of human indulgence. We've gotten so far beyond the need for food, water, and shelter (most of us anyway) that we've begun inventing ways to entertain ourselves that seem to go against our own survival. Think about crack cocaine...there are over 20 steps in the process for making it. How did someone figure that out? Trial and error? It's not like brewing beer, where it took centuries to create and melded from one thing to the next. It took less than a decade and all the steps in between lead to something that can kill instantly. How does something like that get made?

We are endless beings. Completely creative.

Mankind (read: man and womankind) is so incredible.

What are some other things that humans do (or that you do) that seem ridiculous or against our survivalism?