Without belittling any tragedy, and with the obvious bias of being a firefighter, whilst trucking may be more deadly than being a firefighter, the situation you describe is largely in response to the fact that that person typically gave their life in order to try to save a stranger, or their home. Despite the risks to themselves, they put their hand up and said "I will go into that burning building if I know you are in there. I will risk life and limb to get you out. And in the process, I acknowledge that there is a chance that -I- may be the one that doesn't come out."
Their big funeral, with all of their peers? Is but an acknowledgement of that. No-one made them make that decision, but they did. Their peers come because they want to show support to the family and friends, knowing that if that worst should happen to them, they'd want their own family and friends to have that support.
How is your quoted example more noble than this one?
"I will go onto that dangerous interstate if I know you need the [food / building supplies / fuel / etc] I'm hauling. I will risk life and limb to maintain the lifestyle you enjoy. And in the process, I acknowledge that there is a chance that -I- may not survive."
Both occupations put their lives on the line, every day, so that the rest of us can live safe and comfortable lives. But while one occupation commands great respect from the community (deservedly so), the other is mostly looked down upon (unfairly).
How is it more noble? In just about every possible way.
Driving on the "dangerous interstate" is something we all do, most of us every day. And it's not dangerous in the sense of running into a burning building or into the robbery-in-progress.
Doing things like that are heroic because they require you to overcome a very basic and very strong sense of self preservation at all costs.
Truckers do a valuable job, but so do we all: That's why we get paid. We're adding value. But they're not hero's in the sense you're suggesting.
How do you feel about high-rise construction workers? They meet your test, having to overcome millennia of instinct every time they walk out on an I-beam to perform a dangerous job for the benefit of the rest of society.
Are they worthy of fireman-policeman levels of respect, or do you find them lacking as well?
Bullsh^^t raldi, I don't find anybody "lacking" and that's not fair to say. You asked a question, I answered it.
This is the last round of your game here I'm going to play, but fine, here goes:
I didn't explicitely say in my previous example that there's people in that burning building or victims being robbed, but I thought it was implied.
We value human life, not buildings and stuff.
If firemen routinely died running into burning buildings to save the building they wouldn't be very impressive. You'd imagine they'd be doing it because somebody is paying them well and if that's the case, that's the risk they take.
Highrise construction workers are not up there risking their life in a way where, on a moments notice, almost as reflex, they thrust themselves into peril to save a life.
They're doing it because they want and love the thrill and because they're well paid.
Have you ever been in a moving big-rig at 65 mph? It's terrifying to be a passenger; you can only imagine the balls it takes to pilot one. If you don't think it's any scarier than driving to work, you should talk to a trucker. Ever hear of a runaway truck lane? You think a truck driver going over the Rockies in pitch black night with nobody around doesn't have to overcome a sense of self-preservation?
Why do you think that truck drivers aren't risking their life for us like the firefighters and police men are doing? We live in a society where most jobs are needed. If it wasn't for them it would be hard for millions of people to get their food in the stores every day.
Edit: to clarify even more, even the truck driver knows thst he's got a probability to die during his work, which seems to be higher than most other jobs. Most drivers know this.
Indeed. The comfortable society we all enjoy literally could not exist if not for truckers risking their lives every day to provide its circulatory system.
People talk about soldiers bravely and selflessly putting themselves in danger to protect The American Way(tm). Truckers deserve that same respect.
Their big funeral, with all of their peers? Is but an acknowledgement of that. No-one made them make that decision, but they did. Their peers come because they want to show support to the family and friends, knowing that if that worst should happen to them, they'd want their own family and friends to have that support.