How Many Souls On Board?
January 5, 2009
For some reason, I’ve been thinking about a question I always had to answer when filing a flight plan… “How many souls on board?” The term always haunted me a little, because it implied to me that those of us on the plane were already almost dead, or a little closer to death than everyone else. It felt like I could see and hear vultures circling above me… waiting, expecting… Each time I filed a flight plan I got the sense the air traffic controllers were asking, “how many bodies will we have to account for when you crash?” And its corollary, “how many souls will meet their maker as a result of YOUR piloting skills (or lack thereof)?”
I never liked this choice of words. And yet, it is a good reminder of how frail life can be, how thin that line is between being a soul and being a soul-within-a-body. We all know our body will expire; the only question is: when? None of us really know what will happen with our soul, though; if anything. That, I suppose, is the haunting part. The term “bodies,” or even “persons,” implies an understood finality. The term souls implies an infinity of something we can’t comprehend, or perhaps an eternal void. Who wants to think about that just before a flight? But that question, that reality, is always out there, whether we think about it or not. It even holds true when we are not on a plane.
“How many souls on board this vessel (your life)?” How many people are directly affected by my decisions, my judgement, my mistakes? How many people do I stand to lose, if it is that time; and have I done everything in my power, my very best effort, to take good care of them? Am I doing my part to care for the souls in my vessel?
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Posted in balance, inner peace, love, serenity
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This reminds me of the movie- It’s a Wonderful Life by Frank Zappa. We all need a Clarence in our lives to keep us in grounded.
I wish people, especially family members wouldn’t be so “verclempt” about their emotions and let each other know what a difference they’ve made in their life. We always tend to leave these things for the death bed.
Why do humans shy away from vulnerability…is it because it requires too much? May cause a pain they don’t want to deal with. We run but it always catches us up sooner or later. How many “free Spirits” are really out there? I even ask my self why I “hide” who I am sometimes?
So many tangents to go off of…but great brain food to digest…good blog!
I’m so glad you like it. I’ve been a diarist for many years, but this is a new experience for me… opening my journals for the world to see. It makes me feel a little vulnerable, a little exposed. But then, isn’t that what we all want deep down? …to be truly seen?
We spend so much time hiding who we really are, while longing for someone to find us; to connect on a deeper level. This is an interesting experience for me, like sending a message in a bottle and waiting to see who finds it, and if they reply.
I’m so glad you did!
Beautiful post. You have definitely been found!
[...] learned what a blog was in January of this year (2009). From my very first post until my most recent, there has been one blogger always present, always smiling, always spreading [...]
This question can truly be life changing…..”How many people are directly affected by my decisions, my judgement, my mistakes?”
Christopher Kabamba´s last blog ..Passion vs. Profit – How Shall We Live?
The surprising thing, Christopher, is that it’s more that we would think. We tend to focus only on those in our household or immediate vicinity, but we neglect the effect we have even on strangers. That’s why I think it’s best to always be a living example of what we wish to convey… you never know who is paying attention!
[...] Exactly a year ago, I published my very first post, How Many Souls On Board? [...]