Bringing people back to life.

When I was a child I remember Mum had black dog days. She weaved her way in and out of negative thinking like a person stumbling from a car wreck unable to understand how she had got there. She was a good Mum, but sometimes life got too tough, too unfair. She would stare into the distance. The far away look of someone stupefied at the nature of life, and the music she often played on the record player on these occasions, are now inseparable memories defining my younger years.

Is that all there is?

Is that all there is, is that all there is

If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing

Let's break out the booze and have a ball

If that's all there is

Peggy Lee

As a youngster, we often take on the traits of our parents, not by conscious decision, but more by slow osmosis. We exist in the Beta state of consciousness until approximately 6 years of age. We are like sponges. We drink in and accept as "true" everything that we see and hear. Exposure to an experience without another contrary experience to counter it, can lead a trait in one individual to be passed on through the generations unless consciously brought to a conclusion. And so it was with me, and many many others like me. People unable to fathom why happiness was so elusive. People for whom negativity was almost comfortable, because the pain of the known seemed more bearable than the fear of uncertainty. The uncertainty that initially comes from breaking out of old habits.

At school, the Pink Floyd anthem "Another brick in the wall", caused young people to question their place in the world. To think "I don't want to fit myself in a box that has been preordained for me." I became angry.

All in all you're just another brick in the wall

Pink Floyd

Fast forward many years. Life seemed good. Years of inherited negativity had however, scarred me deeply. My anger was barely contained. And then, in my early middle years all my pigeons came home to roost. The sonorous words from the lips of Peggy Lee embraced me yet again, and the repeating cycle of generations loomed ahead of me. In this world of challenges however, we can on occasions find solace, clarity and salvation. No, this is not religious. I found a little book called "Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway" written in the 80s by a great American lady, Susan Jeffers PhD. It gave me the courage to realise that my life was my own. I could forge ahead and be me. Some wouldn't like it. The pain of their rejection of me was tough, but the joy of freedom spurred me ever forward. I embarked on a series of adventures that many would call "life" but to me were refreshing revelations about both myself, and my fellow human beings. That little book brought me back to a place of inner peace, self acceptance and an acknowledgement of how we all are as people. I was brought back to the life that we can all reclaim.

I began to encounter people who were the same as I had been ... "Life's a bitch and then you die". From somewhere deep inside of me I realised I had to do something for these people. Life is a challenge. I reckon it's meant to be. We learn and grow through striving and challenge. Yet so many suffer due to negative thinking. They exist, but fail to truly live. Anger, anxiety and all the associated emotions conspire to render them empty, bereft of a natural joy of existence that is available to all. Some, on the face of it have everything a person could desire ... except happiness. The irony is not lost on these people. They too suffer.

As an airline pilot, my rational mind drives me to fly safely, methodically. My emotional mind is deliberately put on "standby" for all intents and purposes. And so it is for virtually all of us. Sometimes however we forget to re-engage emotional mode, and so we lose perspective, we lose contact with our instinct and we operate on a level which maintains our self sufficiency, our independence, but ignores our humanity. We require balance in our life. And so it is for every single one of us.

My weekly articles over the last month have endeavoured to assist my friends and colleagues in aviation, impacted by the downturn in our industry. I will continue to do all that I can using what skills I possess but yet some ask "What's in it for you? Where's the twist in the plot?" My answer is simply this ... it makes me happy. Those who seek to help, do so because bringing people to a place of happiness, joy and control brings out the best in us and brings us happiness. Caring is not a scam. Looking after your fellow man is not naive. It is an act of self care, by giving. It is a symbiosis. Just like:

• Nurses
• Doctors
• Social workers
• Carers

I want the best for us all. New times, new ways forward.

All power to you.