Sit Down, Hang Tight, Don't Forget to Smile.

The most depressing thing man can accomplish is to go through life on auto-pilot.

Should he return to his seat early [enough], he will find himself in a foreign place far away from where he started, surrounded by things he doesn't understand, amongst people who look familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, people he may have unknowingly wronged. He's clueless; he wasn't flying his plane.

Should he return to his seat too late, he will find that he has coasted through a life that had potential to be rich. Instead he gains from life all that he put into it - nothing. He dies empty.

So I propose man be aware of the life he leads, appreciate all that is good, and embrace all that is bad. Do not numb yourself should you fly into turbulence - you risk flicking on the auto-pilot switch.

Originally written: July 23rd, 2009