Ignoring that you may not be able to control which way you’re looking. Would you want to see it coming or not? I think I’d rather have it be a surprise.
I have jumped out of a skyscraper, and I was looking down. Granted, it was a tourist attraction in Las Vegas and I was attached to a tether to control the fall so there was very little actual danger, but it was still the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.
Eyes squeezed shut.
Mouth open, screaming.
Not gonna look.
Also, I don’t think I’d fly, as in arms spread out. I think I’d ball up as tight as I could.
One of my daydreams is that, with 24 hours left to live, I invite my wife and kids to the top of a skyscraper* (oh sure, okay, you can all come if you bring BBQ and margarita-makings).
*Or a mountain/oceanside cliff, if I decide to take it easy on the cleanup crew.
Then I say a short goodbye (ending with WooHOOO!!!), and fall backwards into oblivion.
So my answer is looking upward, so that I can ham it up… pretend I’m doing the backstroke, do a flip or two, maybe some jumping jacks, get people chuckling.
(And maybe my lack of fear of death will rub off on my kids…)
.
Looking forward to stepping off as cooly as Smapti did… that was impressive.
If I had no expectation of surviving, I would just close my eyes.
Somewhat like @Elmer_J.Fudd, if I have no expectation of survival, I want to make sure it’s a surprise AND as instantaneous as possible, so I’m going to be looking up and trying to angle for a head first impact.
I think I’d look down. If I’m looking up, I’m going to clenched up the entire way down, expecting to hit any time. If I look down, I can relax until the last second.
I’d stay inside and breathe as much smoke and fumes as I could.
~VOW
That sounds slow and painfull.
Yeah. I’m finding it hard to come up with reason, other than fire that would make think “beck, you gotta jump”.
Death is death. I don’t see how either way would make any difference. I think I would stay in, hope for nice fire persons. And take the heat(heh).
What else is there to make you jump from a skyscraper?
But, not looking if I did jump. Eyes shut. 100%
That seems to ignore the hypothetical totally. I would be looking up.
Flawed hypothetical, IMO.
I have no cites, most people that jump are dead.
Can’t ask, but I believe most peoples eyes would be clenched tightly closed. IMHO
Your ability to relax in that situation is most impressive.
Not asking about cites and/or other people.
That’s nice…just sayin’
It would never occur to me to look up. I am looking towards my inevitable future which is the ground.
No way, no how, not on this earth, in this life. F nooo!
You are crazy and or really brave…maybe both.
That’s the spirit!
Both, yes. I first saw it when I was vacationing there in 2014, and I thought to myself “I don’t have time for that right now, but next time I come here I’m doing it whether I want to or not.”
And when I went the next year, I practically forced myself to ride the bus to the Stratosphere and pay the $140 for the jump and the video package via a GoPro strapped to my wrist. I remember just before going out onto the ledge this French guy gave me a thumbs-up and said “Bon chance”.
FWIW, once I was falling I don’t think I really had much ability to control my posture. I stepped off of the ledge and spent the rest of the fall in a standing pose with my arms stretched out.
Looking down isn’t going to make the giant bouncy house appear or disappear, but looking up may give me a chance to grab a random parachute accidentally tossed out a window.
Fate favors the ridiculously optimistic. 