{"id":797,"date":"2026-07-03T07:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=797"},"modified":"2026-07-03T07:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:38:23","slug":"one-and-a-half-cheers-for-the-empire-state-building-daredevils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=797","title":{"rendered":"One and a Half Cheers for the Empire State Building Daredevils"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I<\/span>van Beerkus and Angela Nikolau <\/span>attracted international fame<\/span> for climbing the Empire State Building on Wednesday. Clad in black, the two of them scaled the needle, took photos, and flew a flag that said \u201cWhen the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.\u201d Beerkus additionally took the opportunity to propose to Nikolau on the way down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Romance and Reckless Endangerment on the Empire State Building<\/a><\/p>\n

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It probably isn\u2019t in society\u2019s best interest for more people to be scaling the Empire State Building.<\/span>\u2026 But we definitely need more of the spirit that the Empire State Daredevils put on display.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

The two of them were subsequently arrested by the New York City Police Department and <\/span>charged with multiple felonies<\/span>. They were arraigned on Thursday morning and granted supervised release by a judge. Both Beerkus and Nikolau are quite experienced at this sort of \u201crooftoping,\u201d and were the subject of a Netflix documentary on the topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m no lawyer, and I can\u2019t speak specifically to the charges they\u2019re facing. I\u2019m sure they violated some law in doing what they did. Certainly, they\u2019ve <\/span>attracted plenty<\/span> of criticism on the merits, citing the resources spent and disruption caused by their stunt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those are all valid points to raise. But you know what? I like them anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

Say what you will of the couple, but they certainly don\u2019t lack for bravery and skill. More importantly, though, Beerkus and Nikolau demonstrated something criminally lacking in the modern world: a lust for life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That may seem contradictory, given the severe danger they put themselves in. Aren\u2019t these people just low-grade adrenaline junkies and narcissists? Perhaps. But there are worse sins than that. Ask yourself who\u2019s more alive: is it the person who drags themselves to work a job they hate, comes home, plays video games, scrolls some short-form videos on their phone, and goes to bed every day? Or is it the people that, to a fault, seek adventure and thrills and danger?<\/span><\/p>\n

The former is an exaggeration of modern life for many people, but it isn\u2019t an extreme one. Most of us live by routine, and avoid anything that might cause discomfort or embarrassment like the plague.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the fact that these two people who are clearly the same sort of unhinged found each other. Come on, normal people are so scared of talking to each other that they\u2019ve outsourced their romantic aspirations to dating apps. And we\u2019re supposed to hate the couple that will flout the law and common sense to climb one of the tallest buildings in New York City for each other?<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more The King Is the Defender of \u2018the Space for Faith.\u2019 Here\u2019s Why That Shouldn\u2019t Surprise Anyone.<\/a><\/p>\n

In a world where everyone is so isolated, so stunted, so lonely, is there not something aspirational in seeking two people who are crazy enough to live on the edge and take risks, and are crazy for each other in exactly the same way?<\/span><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that what all of us want? Not illegally free climbing a massive building necessarily, but someone who connects with us at that deep, fundamental level? Why even be alive if you aren\u2019t either experiencing that or seeking it?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ok, the flag they flew was a little cliche, but so what? When you\u2019ve accomplished something as significant as climbing the Empire State Building, being a little bit basic isn\u2019t unforgivable. And at least it wasn\u2019t annoying political activism!<\/span><\/p>\n

As to the disruption they caused and the risk they presented to first responders, it\u2019s a fair criticism. One could also fairly characterize Beerkus and Nikolau as going beyond bravery and verging into recklessness. And yet, I would say that too much boldness is more forgivable than too little, and they\u2019re probably closer to the ideal than the average person.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two of them are likely to be in some amount of legal trouble, and they probably deserve the punishment they\u2019re going to get. But while I can\u2019t read their minds, I suspect they knew going in that there would be consequences, made their peace with them, and did what they did anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d be lying if I didn\u2019t admire that. We\u2019re living in an era of retreat from danger, from discomfort, from romance, and from life itself. It makes the fact these two are running in the opposite direction towards the romantic, the irrational, and the aspirational all the more striking.<\/span><\/p>\n

It probably isn\u2019t in society\u2019s best interest for more people to be scaling the Empire State Building. It\u2019d get terribly crowded for one, and even more unsafe than it already is. But we definitely need more of the spirit that the Empire State Daredevils put on display for the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Congress Can Still Ban Birthright Citizenship. Here\u2019s How.<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE from Stephan Kapustka:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why Go to Mars? Let\u2019s Count the Reasons.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why JD Vance Told Me to Run for President<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meet the Mamdani Acolyte Leading the Race to Be DC\u2019s Next Mayor<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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