Originally Posted by
PositiveRate
Skyhigh, the addiction argument is *******ing ridiculous. So your saying that if I am addicted to exercise it's a bad thing? Addiction is a two way street. To compare a job like flying or any job for that matter and addiction to drugs is just plain dumb, even you have to admit it's a stretch. Are there similarities? Both positive and negative maybe. But everyone universally accepts that drug/smoking addiction is bad. I can't light up a cigarette and tell myself, you know if I keep smoking long enough it will give me great health. It will lead to the fountain of youth and nothing bad will ever happen to me. Not one person who smokes thinks like that. However, a pilot can take up flying and think to himself, you know if I work hard and continue giving every thing I can to aviation, maybe one day I will have a decent career. Maybe I won't, but there is a chance. EVERYONE agrees, that if you pick up a crack pipe or a cigarette, NOTHING good can come from it. Even those addicted will agree. Ask me how I know. I work with about 600 drug addicts every time I go to work. I know what crack/meth/coke does to them.
And quit trying to argue the numbers. I have been around flying my whole life (31 years). It's not as bleak as you make it sound. Is it hard? Your damn right it is. Is it worth it? That is up to the individual trying. To ME it's worth it. To YOU it wasn't. Life is more then a paycheck.
And natural selection?? WTF? Come on, what about using natural selection to lure those into a construction field so they fall off a roof? See it's based on just as much scientific fact.
If you bring up the drug/smoking argument again, I have just about lost all respect for your arguments. And as of now I respect you greatly for making the decisions you have to make your life a happy one.
P R
My point is that I have seen the lust for aviation lure people into making decisions that are not in their own best interest. The long term results can be that of a destructive nature. To me it comes from a place of addiction. As defined by the dictionary a person can be addicted to an "activity", therefore I included the line from the dictionary in my post.
In my career I have watched it tear families up, leave the afflicted broke and alone and frequently I have seem it kill people. I have participated in interventions, of sort, where a group of my colleagues have attempted to divert a pilot from a path of destruction to no avail. Perhaps
you haven't witnessed it yet however, it does not mean that it doesnt exist. This entire thread was started by a conversation I had with a 47 year old guy who was preparing to throw the rest of his work life away on aviation because he "couldn't imagine doing anything else". In his case the results will be catastrophic and self destructive. He is too old and will be spending his life savings on the effort. What else would you call an activity that leaves its victims broke, without any self esteem and desperate for opportunities to sacrifice more? I call it an addiction. I was one myself.
I wouldn't consider you as an addict. In fact I think that there is some hope for you. In your 31 years your better judgement has kept you in a job you hate because somewhere in your subconsciousness a part of you realises how foolish it is and likes having money to buy things with. You might even find it difficult to pull the plug on you current occupation. Most others couldn't resist the urge and would have gotten a huge loan and left a secure position many years prior.
I think the term "Addict" is very accurate and properly describes most who pursue an activity that has long term negative effects upon its participants. I remember in my high school health class the teacher when discussing illegal drug use claimed that no one would purse an activity unless they were getting some kind of short term benefit from it. Drugs are "fun" and so in the short term they make you feel good. Over time the results of continued use become obvious.
I use dollars and cents because it is easy to compare. What is a more accurate statement would be to say that overall pilots do not prosper in life when compared to other career choices. People are not stupid, they gain a lot from their boring 9 to 5 jobs. Once you start on the path to a full time aviation career over time you will notice a reduction in financial momentum and the decay of friends, family and assets. If you ever desire to have a stable family life and the accumulation of the better things then you had better be prepared to sacrifice for them.
Skyhigh