A deep sense of meaning…
 

Do you find it in your flying job? If not, where do you go and/or what do you do to get a feeling of purpose and meaning? (If it’s something you care about, of course)

Flying is fun but the more I do it, the less I think it ticks this box for me.

Certain flights more then others, we fly a lot of rubber dogsh!t out of HongKong.
Those flights are 6 of one or half a dozen of another.
Flying PPE’s during the early days of ‘Rona were more meaningful. Same with relief flights, AMC charters and flying in support of the various squabbles in the world.
Flying an Afghan relief flight touched me deeply.
I’m privileged flying ACMI so I don’t have to do BUR or EWR 3-4 times a day.

Hell to the no. 121 flying is just a paycheck to me. I enjoy it for the most part, but if I never flew another airplane again I would not care in the least.

You gotta find meaning outside of work, otherwise you'll die the day after you retire.

Flying pax safely to important life events does matter a bit to me, I have enough of a technical background to not just take it all for granted. I've had a few emergencies over the years, and all ended well so I can take some satisfaction in that.

But for real fulfillment, yeah probably need another outlet. But you have money and time off... don't need to spend all of that on boats and 'hos.

Altruism is the gift of youth and fools. We're all mercenaries. Act accordingly.

….and the winner is:

Bravo.

I think you might be conflating altruism with meaning. You don’t have to be selfless (or even make a sacrifice) to make a positive difference in the world. There are plenty of careers that are very well-compensated and much more directly benefit the lives of other people.

Sure, for some people (such as mercenaries), money is all that matters, but I personally feel that would be a pretty empty existence. To each their own.

FWIW, I am struggling to find a sense of meaning that comes with my work as a pilot, hence why I posted this thread.

You draw a wage? You're a mercenary. Would you be at work, doing your job, without any renumeration? No? You're a mercenary.

Feel good about your job? That's nice.

You got paid. You do your job because you get paid. it's not a hobby. It's a living. You're a mercenary.

Own it.

It's a technical trade with some irreplaceable applications. When you consider the combined resources of what is takes to put things in motion, impressively complicated on a large scale. Driving home past a week's flogging, only human to feel like an escort. Elite compensation for multiple thousand certificate holders these days. Laughable to hear contract cheerleaders label it brotherhood. But that's their privilege. Whether taking out trash bags or signing a logbook, you supply the meaning. Just don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.

Well, I appreciate you self-reporting as a complete sellout (in your own unflattering words, a “mercenary”) who cares about nothing other than compensation, but not everyone who works to earn their living feels the same way as you do. If you truly think that just because you work to earn a living, that you are a mercenary, then you don’t understand what a mercenary is. Sounds like you just wanted to chime in with some tough talk 🙄

That's one reason I flew/fly bush/humanitarian/DOD. Those flights mean something to a lot of people. A generator for village infirmary, taking child soldiers out of the jungle to NGOs to start a lifetime of healing and then flying the guys in to take care of the people that put the children in the position to kill their parents and become child soldiers in the first place. Very rewarding. Very satisfying. Makes flogging a Citation up and down the east coast very boring. Regional flying more so. Flying domestic cargo comes in a distant runner up.

…As said by one AA Captain before I started flying for the airlines, “It’s a great JOB, but sh1ttee career..”….

Well, the Dali Lama did say to me that when I die, on my deathbed, I will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me ...

My feeling of purpose comes from somewhere higher, i.e. religion. There I said it, hang me.
It motivates me to help those in the community, and caring for the least cared in society while expecting no pay back makes me feel I am making a difference in that person’s life. Even if it’s small.
Offering my separate skills/gifts to others is always a satisfaction.
You can always look into angel flights or other avenues of that sort. Jobs are a mean to an end, no matter how good. Not a fulfillment in life. Even the military. Been there done that, and felt like I was wasting my life rather than fulfilling it surprisingly.
Not saying a job can’t be enjoyed but if you’re looking for complete fulfillment in a job created by a business for the purpose of profit, well…

Next time you see a happy janitor buffing the floors at 1AM in Orlando, or a bathroom attendant in CLT who cleans for hours on end and gives smiles and greetings to everyone, ask them. They might know a secret or two.

I don’t know, I’m pretty sure the bachelorette party we took to Nashville last week with white cowboy hats with plastic Richards dangling from them was gonna have a good time, if I can transport a bunch of suburban white women to have a very cliched party weekend, that’s good enough for me.

Like I said, youth and fools.

Which one are you?

Strong contender for best post of the year right here. You sir/ ma’am are on to something here. Bravo.

Meaning can be derived from your contribution to the household. Not just financial, but also as a role model. Pilots are professionals (mostly) and carry themselves so. Inspire others to fly and mentor them.

Other poster has a broad definition of mercenary. Suppose everyone is either a mercenary (earners), criminal (takers), and those dependents supported by either.

Except that clock-in/out & the lives so occupied aren't exclusively one or the other. Give and take, bitter with the sweet. The OP posted under leaving career. You spend a lot of life at work. Miserable is no life.

I missed the part where they said they were miserable. Passions can be rediscovered. They just may need a new perspective to do so.

Likely the case. Endless routine in a faceless environment it's easy to lose focus. Volunteer to serve on an ASAP event review committee. They are loaded with meaning & purpose of little things overlooked.

That last depends entirely on seniority and solvency.