Valuing flying and protecting its future

[loopa]

You know, it's very easy to procrastinate and forget why you got involved in this industry; we all get lost sometimes.

What helped me get over what I considered a "rough" patch was by having the opportunity to meet with people who have been there and done that already.
You will soon come to find that these individuals value passion, honesty, and ambition to succeed in an industry that is very competitive. They value these traits by helping you put a definite reason behind your passion. And just like anything, if you have the reason and theory, you understand the material and believe in it with a much wider awareness; by itself, this is a great cause for invincible motivation.

I'm a respectively low time pilot, and don't have much experience to relate from. But what I have experienced in the last few weeks from class acts such as DaveP/WJA, a chief pilot also at WJA, ilike2fly, widow, 300_hour_wonder, Louis, TA/RA, MFC's CFI, CDNAVI8R from flickr, a BarXH pilot, and many more who I can't remember the names of, has been proof satisfying the fact that hard work, dedication, and a humble/personable attitude really goes a long way. And by that I mean places that an ATPL and 500 type ratings don't take you.

If anybody out there is ever feeling like they're in a rock bottom end in their flying aspirations as a low time pilot, I would like to return a very insignificant favor back to the industry by helping you put a definite and powerful reason in your achievement as a pilot. I strongly believe that when you understand your place in the industry and truly agree with it, you will develop the proactive attitude that needs to be instilled in every professionally-seeking commercial pilot.

If it weren't for class acts such as the above mentioned, I most likely would never have even come to this realization. Just goes to say how promoting a positive attitude and belief in others really reflects in the success of our fellow friends, aviators, and potential colleagues.

Thanks to everyone who have given me the insight into the fact that yes, "there is light at the end of the tunnel."

Good Evening (I still can't adjust to the time difference in Moncton... bah)

[george sugar]

The point of a tea ceremony is not to make tea. The practice is not meant to be a spectacle of beauty for tourists, it is not intended to enrich the participants, and it certainly isn’t intended to be a competitive demonstration of the only or best way to perform it.

The point of it is to perform each simple step with precision, to focus on what is important at that exact moment, and to not get caught up in impatience while doing so. Also, to understand that the beauty to be derived from doing a simple task well is reward enough in itself, that any reward does not depend on the adulation or approval of others, or any material compensations they may bestow. The ceremony is equally rewarding whoever happens to see it, or whatever others think of it, as long as it is performed at an appropriate time, in an appropriate place, in an appropriate way.

The reward that comes from making tea in this way is an inner sense of harmony and tranquility, a solid grounding of the person’s place in space and time. There is a sense of contentment and acceptance of the relative insignificance of the task itself, while understanding the power of the symbolism for a world ordered by simplicity and precision. The metaphor of the tea ceremony reminds us that we are no more important than the act and just as evanescent, but that each of us can contribute to such an ordered world by guiding ourselves with that simplicity and precision in everything we do.

Such contentment can only come in the absence of expectation and inflated self-importance. The only true power and freedom we have is to decide what we are focused on at this moment; everything else is just marketing and politics. The entire world is in your mind; if can control your mind, you will understand you don’t need to control anything else. The problem with seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is that you are looking at the end of the tunnel, not at the pebbles at your feet that trip you.

If you substitute “flying” for “tea”, and become proficient at the ceremony, you will never lose heart; nor will you likely have an accident. You will not be in such a rush to flash through time to that ideal job or big pension, and you will not see the ordinary and natural occurrences in life as personal insults. You will not see the acts of others as limits to what you can achieve, nor for that matter as an indication of what is worthy of achievement. Focus on what you are doing right now, and do it with respect and attention; everything else will take care of itself.

[loopa]

Thanks for that insight George.

[KAG]

Loopa,
We've all had a snag or three along the way. Fact is if it wasn't for these rough patches, you truly wouldn't appreciate the smooth ones - Character building some call it.

George. You could read that numerous times and gleam something each time. Very deep, almost poetic. That’s for that.