The Pilot and the Boatmen
The boatmen swiftly paddled the small, wooden boat to a far off clearing well hidden in the jungle. The secret clearing is only enough for the small plane they had left there to take off.
The lone pilot sat at the boat, marveling at the skill and precision of every stroke of the boatmen. He could not do anything to help them, for he was out of his element in the water, and any effort he may put will actually just slow them down and hinder their escape from their enemies who held them captive. And speed was certainly of the essence, as he expected their captors to pursue them.
Their mission was a mixture of success and failure. The horridness of their capture could only be excused if they can return home alive.
Because of the expertise and strength of the boatmen, they were able to reach the clearing soon enough. The pilot could not have been more grateful that he was with such proficient boatmen, and although he could do nothing to help them so far, the time had come for his turn to use his skill and expertise to save his comrades and himself. He was the only one among them who knew how to fly a plane.
Boarding the small plane he came to the jungle with, the pilot would skillfully maneuver the plane from take off until they were successfully flying through the air. Success was aloft as although they were still in enemy territory, it was only a matter of time and great distance until they would finally be safe home.
Until the boatmen came to the pilot.
The boatmen said, “We want to fly the plane.”
“What?” the pilot exclaimed, well surprised.
“You have had your turn to fly the plane, now it is our turn.”
“Do any of you even know how to fly a plane?”
“That does not matter. The mere fact that we are here gives us the right to have our turn. Why should we put our lives in your hands, when we can put it in ours?”
“Because I am the only one here knowledgeable and capable of flying this plane. I am grateful that you trust me and put your lives in my hands by allowing me to fly this plane, so please widen that trust when I say that you have no ability to fly this plane yourself.”
“No, we do not agree with your opinion. The fact that we are here and that we are putting our lives on the line gives us a right to our opinion, and we say that we would like to put our lives back in our hands. Our intentions our noble too. We would like to return home safely. And we will do our best to attain that goal, the same goal we expect you have.”
“But whether you believe it or not, the fact remains that I am the expert here at flying planes. When we were still at the boat, I allowed you boatmen to operate the boat as I knew that was your expertise. I did not care that I was not putting my life in my hands; I put my life in your hands because in that situation, we were in your field of expertise. I have very little skill at operating boats so any input I would have given would have just hindered our cause. So I sat cooperatively as you men skillfully saved my life. You have your part, and I have mine. You have to trust me when I say, leave the operation of this plane to me. Give up your perceived right as your inputs would only cause harm, not only to yourself, but everyone here.”
“We do not care about your opinion. You are just one, we are many and we all agree that we have the right to operate this plane as much as you do, for our existence gives us that right, and the fact that our lives are on the line. You have your turn. Now, we demand ours.”
With that, the boatmen subdued the unwilling pilot by force. The many were able to overwhelm the lone one.
The boatmen were very happy at themselves, taking helm of the plane, and the confidence that their lives were in their own hands, up until the point where the plane came crashing down.
-A. L. E.-
The lone pilot sat at the boat, marveling at the skill and precision of every stroke of the boatmen. He could not do anything to help them, for he was out of his element in the water, and any effort he may put will actually just slow them down and hinder their escape from their enemies who held them captive. And speed was certainly of the essence, as he expected their captors to pursue them.
Their mission was a mixture of success and failure. The horridness of their capture could only be excused if they can return home alive.
Because of the expertise and strength of the boatmen, they were able to reach the clearing soon enough. The pilot could not have been more grateful that he was with such proficient boatmen, and although he could do nothing to help them so far, the time had come for his turn to use his skill and expertise to save his comrades and himself. He was the only one among them who knew how to fly a plane.
Boarding the small plane he came to the jungle with, the pilot would skillfully maneuver the plane from take off until they were successfully flying through the air. Success was aloft as although they were still in enemy territory, it was only a matter of time and great distance until they would finally be safe home.
Until the boatmen came to the pilot.
The boatmen said, “We want to fly the plane.”
“What?” the pilot exclaimed, well surprised.
“You have had your turn to fly the plane, now it is our turn.”
“Do any of you even know how to fly a plane?”
“That does not matter. The mere fact that we are here gives us the right to have our turn. Why should we put our lives in your hands, when we can put it in ours?”
“Because I am the only one here knowledgeable and capable of flying this plane. I am grateful that you trust me and put your lives in my hands by allowing me to fly this plane, so please widen that trust when I say that you have no ability to fly this plane yourself.”
“No, we do not agree with your opinion. The fact that we are here and that we are putting our lives on the line gives us a right to our opinion, and we say that we would like to put our lives back in our hands. Our intentions our noble too. We would like to return home safely. And we will do our best to attain that goal, the same goal we expect you have.”
“But whether you believe it or not, the fact remains that I am the expert here at flying planes. When we were still at the boat, I allowed you boatmen to operate the boat as I knew that was your expertise. I did not care that I was not putting my life in my hands; I put my life in your hands because in that situation, we were in your field of expertise. I have very little skill at operating boats so any input I would have given would have just hindered our cause. So I sat cooperatively as you men skillfully saved my life. You have your part, and I have mine. You have to trust me when I say, leave the operation of this plane to me. Give up your perceived right as your inputs would only cause harm, not only to yourself, but everyone here.”
“We do not care about your opinion. You are just one, we are many and we all agree that we have the right to operate this plane as much as you do, for our existence gives us that right, and the fact that our lives are on the line. You have your turn. Now, we demand ours.”
With that, the boatmen subdued the unwilling pilot by force. The many were able to overwhelm the lone one.
The boatmen were very happy at themselves, taking helm of the plane, and the confidence that their lives were in their own hands, up until the point where the plane came crashing down.
-A. L. E.-
