Luck, Fate and the Almighty

A recent discussion on an aviation message board brought up the subject of an aircraft accident where the two pilots on board were killed on impact. The message board is composed primarily of General Aviation pilots who fly for pleasure so deaths in the GA community come hard for those who haven't been around flying for very long.

The subject of learning from one's own mistakes (experience) and the mistakes of others (wisdom) as applied to aviation came up. This was followed by talk about luck and fate. I mentioned both the greatest aviation book ever written, "Fate is the Hunter" by Ernest K. Gann, and the famous Stephen Coonts article for the Naval Aviation's "Approach" magazine titled "The Philosophy of Luck".

A member responded with this:

This is a subject that has kept my attention all my life and my 'lessons' have taught me to believe what we're calling "luck" is a Higher Power acting in our behalf.

Where skill ends and luck/God/fate begin I have yet to understand despite it being my life study. Assume God is trying to test us with crisis. We can make ourselves more likely to pass the test by improving our skills, knowledge, experience, etc. and at the same time we can never overcome God's will if it's meant to be our time, whether that time is being the hero of the day (Sullenberger) or the unfortunate statistic (too many to name).

If skill and experience were the final answers we'd still be reading the exploits of Mr. Steve Fossett today. If God's will didn't matter, I wouldn't be sitting here typing but would have a marker in a cemetery somewhere long ago.

In response, I posted this: A most perplexing question and one I've pondered almost daily since my teens.

As near as I can figure it is something like this. There are many references in the Bible to a Father/Son relationship between the Almighty and mankind. A Father may give his son a hammer and hope he becomes a carpenter. He may even instruct his son, but he can't control whether the son listens or not, learns or not or chooses to become a carpenter.

While the Almighty certainly has the power to make his "son" a carpenter, the gift of free moral agency is a clear sign this will not be done. The choice remains ours.

Although we may have the deepest faith in the Lord, will the Almighty step in and save us if we choose to take a "leap of faith" off a 20-story buiding? It is certainly within the Lord's power,
but given the above, the choice to leap seems to ours. The New Testament passage Luke 4:12 should be remembered before taking that leap.

Now we come to flying. Put into religious terms, Coonts' article is saying we shouldn't put the Almighty to the test by our own negligence or foolishness. Do you think a pilot is wise, responsible or pious if they go scud-running and say "The Lord will protect me?" Wouldn't this, in fact, be disrespectful of both the Lord and the gifts given to mankind?

The Lord gave every human being a brain. My understanding of this gift is that we are each expected to use it. While I cannot possibly fathom why the Lord has done this or why the Lord does anything, what I can fathom is how best to use the gifts I am given. Stephen Coonts' article, to me, states the same reasoning. It is our choice to fly. We should choose to fly wisely.

March 3, 2009

Today is my 53rd birthday and this blog is a small present to myself as I continue on with the journey of life. While life can be hard for everyone at times, the good times have always outnumbered the bad times. It's all a matter of attitude.

My major in college was Psychology. As most psych students know, one reason to select this major was because it seemed relatively easy. This isn't true, but it seemed that way which I switched from Aeronautical Engineering to Computer Science to Philosophy and, finally, to Psychology. Another reason students select Psychology is to find out more about themselves. While they may be very intelligent, their life experience is limited to only 20 years or less on average. The world and the people in it are pretty confusing.

If someone acts like a jerk on the highway or in the line at the grocery store, a common response is to think or even say "Asshole". A person who thinks a bit more deeply might pause to wonder why a person would act in such a manner. This causes confusion and studying Psychology is one means to create order out of chaos.

Another reason to select the major was also to help find the answers to life goals such as "How can I find happiness?" Some people think the answer is money, nailing the prettiest girl in class or being the Beer Chugging Champion at the local bar. Although I haven't found all the answers nor am I always happy, to large extent I've found that happiness is inside each of us. All we have to do it let it grow. The short answer is Happiness = Contentment. The long answer is why I've chosen to begin writing this blog.