Well, I know I should have written about this the day it happened as Barack Obama’s inauguration quickly obliterated the story of the pilot who landed his plane (747?) in the Hudson. I don’t have his name in front of me nor any other details about the flight. It’s irrelevant to my comments.

WHY IS EVERYONE SO COMPLETELY OVER THE TOP ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF THIS PILOT? Is it really a shock that this guy was able to think quickly, assess the situation accurately, make a good decision about what action to take, and that he possessed the skill and expertise to safely land the airplane in the Hudson River? Isn’t that the kind of pilot we should expect to be at the controls when we fly?

I am not minimizing this feat by any means. OBVIOUSLY it was an almost unbelievable outcome to what could have been a disaster. An amazing story. And when I heard the pilot say several days later, “I was just doing my job”, my reaction was, I kinda knew he would say that. I was relieved, but I kinda knew in my gut that anyone with that kind of grace and precision under pressure would not likely say anything else.

Yet, everyone went nuts over this guy! Like he was the only person they have ever seen do the right thing in a tough situation. I was kinda flabbergasted. A key to the city and all. Do we really expect so little of people? Have we lowered our standards so far? When someone simply does his or her job, albeit superbly, that we hail them as a hero, offering book deals and all kinds of lucrative rewards??

Is it not enough to feel good in your heart and soul knowing your calm professionalism averted a tragedy and spared many lives? I am pretty sure it’s good enough for that pilot. I know it would be good enough for me.

Take a look at what you’re teaching your children. For example, do they have any chores around the house? Are they paid or compensated in some way for every little thing they do to help out? Be careful about this. Are you setting them up to believe they deserve something in return for doing these jobs? Or are they being taught that it is their responsibility to help take care of the place where they live and the family they love? Are they learning that self-satisfaction in a job well done and knowing they were helpful is enough reward.

It is sad that many of us regard the exemplary behavior of that pilot as remarkably uncommon.

What if we simply began to expect more from people?

Popularity: 59%