Tiger Airways have a problem with their aircrew flying tired. So tired in fact, that they can't be bothered reporting their weariness to the supervisors. According to Captain Tim Berry, who is the Director of Operations for Tiger, crew who were fatigued sometimes lacked the energy even to fill out a report.
How many times have you uttered the words, "whatever", in response to some suggestion that you didn't understand or like, or to some unpleasant or unsatisfactory situation in which you found yourself? Rather than fight, we sometimes simply throw up our hands and surrender. Why? Because we are tired. We've had enough. It can get so bad that we can't even find the strength to protest. Ever heard the saying, no use complaining because no one listens anyway. Why waste breath on a pointless gripe which won't change or achieve anything? What's the point?
Many people adopt this pose as they confront life. They lay down and accept what life dishes out to them because opposition requires too much effort and promises too little compensation. Others are engaged in battle all the time. For them conflict is the reason for existence. Winston Churchill's immortal speech about fighting them on the beaches etcetera is engraved in their mind. To live is to fight.
While the warrior group may be extremists, they are closer to the truth. Life is a war and there are things worth fighting for. The trick is to figure out which battles to wage. There are some causes which should not be championed and some enemies which should not be pursued. Marked by human frailty and brokenness, we cannot fight everyone and everything, but neither should we lie down and allow life to kick us in the ribs and stomp on our heads.
Wisely choose your battles, and carefully select your allies because no one has ever won a war by themselves. And if you get worn out, make sure you tell someone. And get some rest!
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Our Men Are Afraid
Some fool over in Afghanistan, a local politician or something, added his two cents to our current debate about allowing women in the Australian Defense Forces to serve in frontline positions. Obviously an ignorant sexist with a flare for being offensive, he said that we must be considering women for combat roles because our men are afraid. Fair enough, this may have been a juicy example of hyperbolic rhetoric but it really annoyed me. What a stupid thing to say when our men, our soldiers, are dying in his God forsaken country to try and secure a peaceful future for them.
The re-ignited public discussion about women in combat roles is also stupid. As with just about everything kicked around in the forum of the vox populi, it is largely drivel. People have a right to their opinions but we should all be aware that there is a difference between points of view which are informed by relevant knowledge and/or experience, and hot air fuelled by ignorance and prejudice.
Women and men are not the same but they can do the same things. The only pre-requisite for employment in a particular profession, in this case, the armed forces, should be a person's ability to do the job. Are they physically, intellectually and emotionally capable of executing their duties? The presence of a penis between the candidate's legs, or lack thereof is not a relevant criterion.
Speaking of penises: have you heard the one about how women on the front line may get raped if captured? Men get raped too. What about that women are too soft and they might not be able to handle the terror of combat? Men have had their insides ripped out, literally and metaphorically, ever since they first raised arms against one another after they were expelled from Paradise. What about the one that says men will feel overly protective of the females in their unit? I believe that the bonds that exist between members of a combat unit are unbreakable; thicker than blood in some cases.
I don't know anything about war other than what I read, listen to, and watch. I've been to the War Memorial, and I've felt the intensity of overwhelming emotions when I think of what has been sacrificed by our armed forces, but I have never experienced it. Saying that I know about war is like stating I understand brain surgery because I watched a edited version of it on RPA.
To say that I admire the bravery of people who go into armed combat is such an understatement that I feel embarrassed to write it. The debate about whether courageous women should serve on the frontline is best left to people who know what they are talking about. Ignorance, like that demonstrated by our Afghan friend, is not helpful.
The re-ignited public discussion about women in combat roles is also stupid. As with just about everything kicked around in the forum of the vox populi, it is largely drivel. People have a right to their opinions but we should all be aware that there is a difference between points of view which are informed by relevant knowledge and/or experience, and hot air fuelled by ignorance and prejudice.
Women and men are not the same but they can do the same things. The only pre-requisite for employment in a particular profession, in this case, the armed forces, should be a person's ability to do the job. Are they physically, intellectually and emotionally capable of executing their duties? The presence of a penis between the candidate's legs, or lack thereof is not a relevant criterion.
Speaking of penises: have you heard the one about how women on the front line may get raped if captured? Men get raped too. What about that women are too soft and they might not be able to handle the terror of combat? Men have had their insides ripped out, literally and metaphorically, ever since they first raised arms against one another after they were expelled from Paradise. What about the one that says men will feel overly protective of the females in their unit? I believe that the bonds that exist between members of a combat unit are unbreakable; thicker than blood in some cases.
I don't know anything about war other than what I read, listen to, and watch. I've been to the War Memorial, and I've felt the intensity of overwhelming emotions when I think of what has been sacrificed by our armed forces, but I have never experienced it. Saying that I know about war is like stating I understand brain surgery because I watched a edited version of it on RPA.
To say that I admire the bravery of people who go into armed combat is such an understatement that I feel embarrassed to write it. The debate about whether courageous women should serve on the frontline is best left to people who know what they are talking about. Ignorance, like that demonstrated by our Afghan friend, is not helpful.
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