Saving Our Souls?

I was struck last Thursday by how calm Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and Astronaut Nick Hague were during the potentially fatal malfunction of the Soyuz flight to the space station. Their clearness of mind meant they managed to land and save their own lives, even whilst performing a “ballistic descent” which is falling out of space aiming at something on earth with a parachute to stop you making a massive crater. 

I have heard that same tone from pilots on commercial aircraft. If we think of Chesley Sullenberger’s voice on Flight 1549 who, struck a flock of Canada Geese and lost all engine power taking off from LaGuardia airport. He seamlessly applied his skills as a glider pilot in that crisis moment. Captain Sullenberger communicated with the Air Traffic Control saying he didn’t have enough height to get back to the airport and so performed an unpowered ditch of the aircraft on the choppy waters of Hudson. Which means landing a commercial airline (Airbus A320-214) on a river with no engines. Impressive especially when he didn’t miss a beat providing information back to Air Traffic Control to ensure emergency services we already on the way. This all happen between taking off at 15:24 and colliding with the birds at 15:27 at a height of 859 meters 90 seconds later landing on the Hudson. The last person was taken from the plane at 15:55. All 155 souls on board were saved. This all played out in less time than an episode of EastEnders with significantly more drama and less shouting.

I lack this ability in myself often reacting emotional to situations before I understand all the facts for example a Facebook post, comment from a colleague or that driver that nearly crashes into you on the way to the office and drives away like you are not even there. I react without think shouting “are you blind didn’t you see me?” Like they can hear. The point is they probably didn’t see me or they wouldn’t have nearly crashed into me. Very few people do that. It is a pain in the arse having to fix cars or worse. Therefore what is the point of shouting and getting angry about stuff out of my control? I have the rest of the drive to concentrate on and other problems to solve.

Perhaps I can try to behave like a pilot or captain in life’s challenging moments not raising a ruckus but thinking about how I or we can solve a problem by communicate clearly and calmly. After all we are all experts in one thing or another. I am impressed with how well people can do things. If you haven’t seem someone who knows what they are doing with Excel in the office you have not witnessed modern sorcery.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we took a breath before being triggered into to an emotional response, instead discussed the situation to fix it? Perhaps then more souls could be saved. Even if you believe in fate or God in these situations we could at least lend a hand to ourselves.   

FYI Ruckus makes me sound way more windswept and interesting than I am. I shall use it more often.

Thanks for reading. Good luck & Bon voyage.