18 April 2006

Drive!

I'm on thin ice here........making bold, declarative statements,
but I'm doing so because I want your feedback........

How do you feel when you board an airliner?

I've been airborne more than two full years. I'm certainly not afraid of flying,
and I get to fly commercially two or three times a year.
But as I board I still wonder, "What sort of crew is at the controls of this machine?"

Flying an airliner is "safe as houses", whatever that means.
But you still read about the now-and-then stupid decision......
like the VERY seasoned KLM Captain at Tenerife that started his 747 on takeoff roll in thick fog while another 747 was taxiing on the same runway, resulting in the single worst aviation disaster in history.

I have survived flying helicopters 38 years, including acting as a target for one of those years, partly because I don't take risks while I'm at the controls.
My crews know this, and frequently commend me for it.

When I get aboard an airliner, I hope the folks at the controls have that same attitude toward risk-taking. I'd be very comfortable if they would invite me to come sit up front and observe.......maybe even take the controls and fly the airplane a little. I like to be in control.
Almost by definition, Pilots have to be conceited.....
taking the lives of others into their hands.

Drive........1
I like to drive. When I go somewhere in a car, I like to be the one behind the steering wheel.
I know my skills. I know I am in great health. When I'm at the wheel, I control the risks that are taken between Point A and Point B.
Control is the Big Kahuna........I don't like NOT being in control.

Drive.......2
Ambition.
Motivation.
The desire to make something happen.
I'm not easily bored.
When I begin to be bored, I try to make somethin' happen.
If I don't like what's goin' on around me, I try to change it.
Lotsa folks, including some of my loved ones, get irritated with me because I push. I admit I have a problem with being confident that I'm right, and sometimes what is right for me might not be right for someone else.
But I truly believe in the old Army adage: "Do something, even if it's wrong."
By putting a plan in motion, even if you fail, you learn something.......
what NOT to do next time.
And you know, there is GREAT value learning what doesn't work!
See......we're back to the control thing, aren't we?
By deciding on a plan and trying to make it work, you have control over your circumstances.

Would you call me a "Type A" personality?
Some do. I don't know.......I think I'm pretty laid back most of the time.

But I have never fully understood the "Type B's"......
those folks that mostly sit back and allow life to happen to them......
hoping that what comes their way is good......
being afraid to make a decision because it might fail........
accepting mental or physical abuse as if they deserve it, because it was what "life" handed them.

I've been discussing Co-Dependency with a friend.
I understand the concept, but the self-centered blockhead in me cannot figure out why anyone would allow life to pass by, taking actions that reinforce behaviors that make life worse for both.
Me, I'd be shouting, "I don't like the way this is turning out. Let's do something else!"

I know......it's 'way more complex than that.
So you see, I am trying to understand.
I know it is addictive behavior, and I think we all have some of that.

But.......wouldn't it be better to identify things in your life that are not making your life better, and try something else?
The one that best knows what is best for you, is YOU!


In other words, take control of the wheel of your life and DRIVE!

5 comments:

Mommanurse said...

Oh, boy, are we ever related!!!!I had just decided to do a blog entitled "Why do they stay"...about abusive relationships. Haven't formulated it all the way yet, so it is still a coming attraction.
Re: benefit in knowing what doesn't work....that's why I am now the wise old bird I am......
Type A? Hmmmmm....three jobs, need to be in control, and a list of things I won't list, cuz I'm your sis.....YA THINK??
] We are wired differently, juiced differently, raised differently. All this creates the answer that what works for one, doesn't work for all. Drama Queens/Kings live for it, when they don't have it they create it. It feeds them the same way control feeds you.

Mommanurse said...

P.S. Didn't address the original question. The first time I got on a commercial airliner, I didn't like it because I probably wasn't related to the pilot, and couldn't see him the whole time......

the golden horse said...

#1 Flying....Love it and would do it 24/7. Almost did several years back. What a rush. We travel alot and hope to keep doing so for many years.
#2 As for your life, I do commend you on wanting to understand others..that takes a big person to admit that maybe..just maybe, you aren't right 100% of the time. I think alot of it has to do with being raised to be very independant
Look at us at 18 and the kids now.. big difference in alot.
And for the ones that can't let go of a bad relationship, they have been condition, most likely by the best, to accept this behavior.
There are people out there that prey on those that are weaker, it isn't a flaw, it is just the way they are.
But in the end......It all boils down to, you ALWAYS have an option of what you want for lunch.

Anonymous said...

I don't fly commercially much at all. I don't particularly care to be a passenger.. When I drive, I tend to always have a lane to bail out if needed and I tend to get the %$^&* away from folks talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, or doing something other than driving. Silly of me but ........

the golden horse said...

YOU WERE ON MY MIND TODAY.....

I was out running errands and while quietly sitting in the car at a stoplight, I heard the familiar whomp whomp of a helicopter coming from my rear and less than 100 feet above me.
As I was sitting facing the nearest hospital, I figured that was where he was headed, since this wasn't the normal route for any other copters.
I sat there watching the pilot, it had started raining, the clouds were coming in and we had brisk trades.
The pilot preceded at low speed, and sat that machine down like he was putting a baby to bed.

Still takes my breath away.
Another job well done.
I don't think there are ever enough thank yous out there for these brave people.