Aviation is my religion - you?

saddletramp

saddletramp

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saddletramp
I was born into a cult-like religion. Very strict. At 35 years of age I walked away from it all. My family still considers me an outcast & most certainly bound for Hell. I still consider myself spiritual but have little use for organized religion. Sometimes when I'm aloft looking down on the earth I feel almost God-like. I'm sure most of you have been there too.

Today I was pondering my 45 years of flying. It's such a large part of my inner soul that I concluded that flying is my religion. In my youth my hero's were Richard Collins, Gordon Baxter, Richard Bach, Ernest Gann, & so many other great writers & scribes. They were my prophets.

In High School I wasn't the greatest scholar or athlete but...hey, I could fly. It gave me a unique identity that wasn't the norm. It was my rock.

The saying is true "Once a man flies, he never looks at the sky the same again".

If this all sounds crazy then I promise I'll never post while high on scotch again.

Cheers!
 
saddletramp said:
If this all sounds crazy then I promise I'll never post while high on scotch again.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Don't worry, the forum would be a quarter of its size if that rule were upheld.

But to answer your question, my church is the gym, and I attend service every morning.
 
saddletramp said:
I was born into a cult-like religion. Very strict. At 35 years of age I walked away from it all. My family still considers me an outcast & most certainly bound for Hell. I still consider myself spiritual but have little use for organized religion. Sometimes when I'm aloft looking down on the earth I feel almost God-like. I'm sure most of you have been there too.

Today I was pondering my 45 years of flying. It's such a large part of my inner soul that I concluded that flying is my religion. In my youth my hero's were Richard Collins, Gordon Baxter, Richard Bach, Ernest Gann, & so many other great writers & scribes. They were my prophets.

In High School I wasn't the greatest scholar or athlete but...hey, I could fly. It gave me a unique identity that wasn't the norm. It was my rock.

The saying is true "Once a man flies, he never looks at the sky the same again".

If this all sounds crazy then I promise I'll never post while high on scotch again.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Any religion should provide the framework for answering three main questions. Where do we come from? What is our purpose/why are we here? And, what happens after we leave this life?

Maybe you meant it to be comical, but if flying is a close as you can get to addressing life's main questions, you are running from real life not embracing it. Flying is enjoyable but it's not religion.
 
I don't classify it as a religion, but rather an addiction... in fact if not recently airborne, I begin to begin to get that same feeling of NEED as when I smoked cigarettes... It is a real gut wrenching need to satisfy the beast!
 
Here @saddletramp ... I'll help you with @Cooter's questions.

Where do we come from?
- God - who lives way up in Heaven. Flying gets us closer to God.
- The earth - which we can quite thoroughly explore and adore from the sky. Flying connects us more with the earth.

What is our purpose/why are we here?
- To love - I love flying, how it makes me feel and the effects it has on my life. The happiness and fulfillment I get from flying makes me a better wife, mother, employee, person.
- To connect with others - I've met some of the most amazing people since becoming a pilot. And not just other pilots, but the people we get to help through programs like Angel Flights, Above the Clouds and Pilots N Paws. We can make a real difference and real connections. The positive effects we create via those connections linger long after we are gone.
- To appreciate the wonders of the world - which is really easy to do when you are flying through the clouds, the mountains, the valleys... over snowy fields, autumn scenes, flowing streams, budding forests, fields of flowers... I'm in constant awe.
- To grow as beings - I learn something new every single time I fly... I learn about myself and grow in the peace flying brings me and the challenges it often presents me.

And, what happens after we leave this life?
- Transcend to whatever is on the other side, perhaps as winged angels who no longer have to worry about medicals or the FAA.
- Leave behind all the people and places we affected in our life through our decision to become pilots. That little girl with cancer we helped get to her treatments, the old veteran who couldn't fly anymore but we gave that one last flight/memory to, the teenager with big dreams but no parental support to help achieve them, the flight students who came in unsure of themselves and their abilities but who - even if they never finished their training due to money, life conflicts, or whatever - became a far more confident people, the nervous first time passenger who went onto earn their wings, the woman at her first airshow, the child in the store parking lot as we flew overhead, our own children and their children who saw us lead lives filled with passion, love and wonderment, and who were positively affected and inspired by our decision to not live our lives under a shallow rock of fear and conformity.
- The positive effects from the above help make the world we leave behind a better place.

In other words, I strongly disagree with Cooter that you are "running from real life not embracing it." I'd say you are doing quite the opposite.

I'm glad you were able to break free of the cult you were in and that you have found happiness. Keep preachin' the good word.
 
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Cajun_Flyer said:
Here @saddletramp ... I'll help you with @Cooter's questions.

Where do we come from?
- God - who lives way up in Heaven. Flying gets us closer to God.
- The earth - which we can quite thoroughly explore and adore from the sky. Flying connects us more with the earth.

What is our purpose/why are we here?
- To love - I love flying, how it makes me feel and the effects it has on my life. The happiness and fulfillment I get from flying makes me a better wife, mother, employee, person.
- To connect with others - I've met some of the most amazing people since becoming a pilot. And not just other pilots, but the people we get to help through programs like Angel Flights, Above the Clouds and Pilots N Paws. We can make a real difference and real connections. The positive effects we create via those connections linger long after we are gone.
- To appreciate the wonders of the world - which is really easy to do when you are flying through the clouds, the mountains, the valleys... over snowy fields, autumn scenes, flowing streams, budding forests, fields of flowers... I'm in constant awe.
- To grow as beings - I learn something new every single time I fly... I learn about myself and grow in the peace flying brings me and the challenges it often presents me.

And, what happens after we leave this life?
- Transcend to whatever is on the other side, perhaps as winged angels who no longer have to worry about medicals or the FAA.
- Leave behind all the people and places we affected in our life through our decision to become pilots. That little girl with cancer we helped get to her treatments, the old veteran who couldn't fly anymore but we gave that one last flight/memory to, the teenager with big dreams but no parental support to help achieve them, the flight students who came in unsure of themselves and their abilities but who - even if they never finished their training due to money, life conflicts, or whatever - became a far more confident people, the nervous first time passenger who went onto earn their wings, the woman at her first airshow, the child in the store parking lot as we flew overhead, our own children and their children who saw us lead lives filled with passion, love and wonderment, and who were positively affected and inspired by our decision to not live our lives under a shallow rock of fear and conformity.
- The positive effects from the above help make the world we leave behind a better place.

In other words, I strongly disagree with Cooter that you are "running from real life not embracing it." I'd say you are doing quite the opposite.

I'm glad you were able to break free of the cult you were in and that you have found happiness. Keep preachin' the good word.
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Nice job. Your post has certainly added a religious feel to the idea but it unfortunately does miss the point. I won't pick it apart because that would go against the spirit of the thread and my point would be lost in pedantry. But I will point out why it fails. You have simply stated that that flying helps you to achieve what you already view as good and where you already find meaning and purpose. You have chosen to value a whole host of things: motherhood, being a good employee, being a good person, helping other people, helping animals, influencing youth. Flying doesn't answer the questions of why those things are good or why they should be valued at all. Flying doesn't answer the question of who God is or whether we should try to be nearer Him and it certainly doesn't give us insight on what happens after death.

I agree with much of your post. Flying can certainly be used for good purposes and even have positive personal effects. There is a reason it has been central to my life for 25+years. But it isnt meant to provide for us either our purpose or our worth.

Wow, what a buzz kill. I'll bet you can tell I'm a blast to have drinks with at the bar! :)
 
Cooter said:
Any religion should provide the framework for answering three main questions. Where do we come from? What is our purpose/why are we here? And, what happens after we leave this life?

Maybe you meant it to be comical, but if flying is a close as you can get to addressing life's main questions, you are running from real life not embracing it. Flying is enjoyable but it's not religion.
Click to expand...
In my view, religion is personal, and YOUR religion can be whatever YOU want it to be. It doesn't need to answer any particular questions, although @Cajun's answer was good. Please note that I wrote "in my view" and I was not talking about any organized religion.
 
Cajun_Flyer said:
Maybe if we stick to the hard booze we'll at least be able to get one slight chuckle together...
;)
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Well I do like Whiskey and airplanes, so we do have something in common. And I do tend to loosen up a little after a good Bourbon.
 
Everskyward said:
In my view, religion is personal, and YOUR religion can be whatever YOU want it to be. It doesn't need to answer any particular questions, although @Cajun's answer was good. Please note that I wrote "in my view" and I was not talking about any organized religion.
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That's a common perspective but it needs to correspond to reality. Otherwise, it's delusional.
 
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Everskyward said:
I'll just leave this alone...
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Delusional has a strong negative connotation so it sounded more harsh than I intended it. Your previous post states what would be categorized as a post-modern view of truth, one that essentially denies a reality beyond what you experience. The word delusional simply pointed at it's denial of reality.

I can see that we are headed to unwelcome territory here, so I'll let it rest with that.
 
Cooter said:
Any religion should provide the framework for answering three main questions. Where do we come from? What is our purpose/why are we here? And, what happens after we leave this life?

Maybe you meant it to be comical, but if flying is a close as you can get to addressing life's main questions, you are running from real life not embracing it. Flying is enjoyable but it's not religion.
Click to expand...

Well, not to start an argument, but I agree with Cooter. I do love to fly and am addicted to it, but I also realize how it fits into the overall scheme of life. Cooter is much better at expressing this than I am, so I will shut up.
 
Cooter said:
Nice job. Your post has certainly added a religious feel to the idea but it unfortunately does miss the point. I won't pick it apart because that would go against the spirit of the thread and my point would be lost in pedantry. But I will point out why it fails. You have simply stated that that flying helps you to achieve what you already view as good and where you already find meaning and purpose. You have chosen to value a whole host of things: motherhood, being a good employee, being a good person, helping other people, helping animals, influencing youth. Flying doesn't answer the questions of why those things are good or why they should be valued at all. Flying doesn't answer the question of who God is or whether we should try to be nearer Him and it certainly doesn't give us insight on what happens after death.

I agree with much of your post. Flying can certainly be used for good purposes and even have positive personal effects. There is a reason it has been central to my life for 25+years. But it isnt meant to provide for us either our purpose or our worth.

Wow, what a buzz kill. I'll bet you can tell I'm a blast to have drinks with at the bar! :)
Click to expand...

Buzzkill? Here's your buzzkill. Your definition of religion is how your religion apparently defines it. The dictionary, though, has other, more expansive ideas:
re·li·gion
rəˈlijən/
noun
noun: religion
  1. the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
    "ideas about the relationship between science and religion"
    synonyms: faith, belief, worship, creed; More
    sect, church, cult, denomination
    "the freedom to practice their own religion"
    • a particular system of faith and worship.
      plural noun: religions
      "the world's great religions"
    • a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.
      "consumerism is the new religion"
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Note, there's nothing in there about the proposed religion being able to answer any questions. And by at least two of the meanings, flying qualifies for most of us.

OTOH, flying is not my religion. Flying is something like being married to your crack dealer, but you still have to pay for product.

(I'm an airplane owner... does it show?)
 
Almost all of my hang gliding training was done on Sunday mornings. I referred to it as being the Church of the Open Skies. Never did think of it as actually being a religion, though.
 
People seem to want to talk about flying, religion, and politics at our airport. If you want to talk religion or politics, I'll escort you out of my hangar and point you toward a group that will discuss anything once the beer is flowing! That doesn't mean I'm ignorant on religion or politics, it means I don't want your opinion or insight on either of them and I'm at the airport to enjoy flying activities.

I do tell my wife I'm going to church on Sunday mornings though... she knows that means the hangar!
 
For those who follow Game of Thrones, I tend to follow the same god that Tyrion does :) But that's not nice to reveal in mixed company :) I'm not a spiritual person. Flying a glider in a thermal with a flock of American White Pelicans is about as spiritual of an experience as I've had.
 
Mistake Not... said:
Buzzkill? Here's your buzzkill. Your definition of religion is how your religion apparently defines it. The dictionary, though, has other, more expansive ideas:

Note, there's nothing in there about the proposed religion being able to answer any questions. And by at least two of the meanings, flying qualifies for most of us.

OTOH, flying is not my religion. Flying is something like being married to your crack dealer, but you still have to pay for product.

(I'm an airplane owner... does it show?)
Click to expand...

I should leave this one alone, but you seem so animated I thought it would be rude to ignore it. Go back and look at my first post. I said any religion should be able to answer some basic questions, which is generally recognized in religious and philosophical circles . I did not give a definition of it. I did note however, that flying doesn't meet the criteria of the definition you provided.
 
What religion is organized? The people in the church may be organized, cults are organized.

My church is my church.

The airplane is work.

Flying gets me away from the desk.
 
Nope - not even close.

Now is it therapy? By all means YES!!!
 
So nice that MC members can opine on Religion, as well as politics, with impunity. Perhaps that is the sole benefit of volunteering their time.
 
Ravioli said:
So nice that MC members can opine on Religion, as well as politics, with impunity. Perhaps that is the sole benefit of volunteering their time.
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I think they just haven't gotten around to removing the 'no politics or religion' rule yet. just don't mention enchfrey oasttay and you're golden. hey wait, is Pig Latin acceptable on PoA? cause that opens up a whole new world for me.
 
We use discretion, and are not zero-tolerance about the politics/religion rule. But when people start throwing partisan punches or start threads that are obvious attempts at political trolling, we will take action. There are people here who think it's fun to come as close to the line as possible, and we are aware of who these members are.

Note that I am not referring to the person who started this thread. It is way within what is allowed.
 
Ravioli said:
So nice that MC members can opine on Religion, as well as politics, with impunity. Perhaps that is the sole benefit of volunteering their time.
Click to expand...

There seems to be a threshold that allows people to make their point and move on. The MC made a comment consistent with what was being discussed, and moved on. I think that is a good balance and keeps the most people happy.
 
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