A safe flight

Ivan is a pilot. His extensive training ended with one firm decision. He would be in public transportation, a part of this big system that makes our world a better place. He would help people reach their goals, find new emotions and return safe home. He was waiting for the day he would fly that plane full of passengers that rely on him to get them through.

I met him some time after his first commercial flight. He was sitting on a bench in the park, staring at the people that ran or skated by. It didn’t take too many words for him to break down.

“I was trying to taste the responsibility. I wanted to feel the burden of it all, to realize the joy of landing them all safely down. I couldn’t. It didn’t matter that somewhere there behind me, the plane was full of people. It wouldn’t have made any difference if I were alone. I’m scared now. I think I have been lying to myself and I cannot fool myself into believing in the lie again.”