Clear Air Turbulence
Clear air turbulence is a phenomenon often encountered by airplane pilots where "out of the blue", that is with no sign of clouds or rain or other warnings, a plane is caught up in sometimes violent disturbances. This is a frightening event to passengers and pilots alike, as the plane is shaken by unseen forces which seem unending.
Whenever I'm on a plane which experiences clear air turbulence I think about how often we face the same thing in life. We're sailing through our lives, seeing no trouble ahead, when suddenly we meet an obstacle, an upheaval, trouble in some form. We're the pilot of our lives, so what do we do? Do we do our best to right the plane, to keep flying or do we panic or give up, doing the wrong things or passively allowing the plane to plummet to the ground, taking our passengers with us? Good pilots know what to do to make it through and we must do the same things to right our lives.
First, we need to see that trouble is part of life and be watchful. The old adage "hope for the best but fear the worst" is applicable here. No one can avoid trouble, upheavals, disturbances, big or small, so we should be prepared. I don't mean fearful, unable to live life, I mean ready to confront whatever comes, with confidence in our ability to deal with whatever happens.
Second, we need to deal with trouble when it appears. Sometimes it appears so comfortable, so peaceful to do nothing in the face of problems. Even though we know that this reaction usually leads to more problems, we fool ourselves into thinking that we eliminate our responsibility by doing nothing. But ultimately we have to accept that problems won't disappear by themselves and that solving a problem not only eliminates a source of pain, it makes us stronger, better able to deal with the next problem, maybe even reducing or eliminating future problems.
Be responsible for your lives and accept that trouble will come your way. Face the problems and solve them the best way you can. You will be happier and the next problem will be less daunting and easier to solve.
11-8-99