This quote came through my inbox this morning, courtesy of Inspiring Quotes, and it struck me rather profoundly. As you know, I’m a world builder, but this quote can apply so much further than writing or creation. What we see in this world is what we allow ourselves to see.
Looking at social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit, it’s so easy to fall into an echo chamber of curated content that shows you what you want to see and what you want to believe. As has been lamented often enough, the fascist movements seen throughout the “civilized” world have largely grown out of these echo chambers and found themselves emboldened by the support their network gives them.
At its core, having a support network is not a bad thing. Just like any tool, however, what you do with it matters. If you use it to validate yourself and your opinion, that’s one thing. Using it to validate your opinion and then using that opinion to restrict rights and freedoms is quite another.
I love to learn, to experience new perspectives, and so I try to consciously not restrict my viewpoint to just those that I agree with. Yes, this leads me to being offended regularly, but I also recognize that I am making a conscious choice to see this content. I don’t look for it because I agree with it, but I look for it to know what is out there. To know what storms might be lying just over the horizon or brewing in some tech bro’s demented mind.
I also find that I can draw upon greater collective wisdom if I consider multiple perspectives when making decisions. While I may disagree with some things, I can analyze what I need to do through those lenses and approach the task with that in mind. A great example of this is the contrast between my personal belief that housing is a human need and should be treated as a basic human right and the fact that I work in property management. I see articles and posts vilifying landlords (and property managers as an extension of the landlord), and it sometimes makes me question my career choice.
However, I also can use those opinions to improve what I provide to the residents in my communities, to provide value beyond just four walls and a roof. While I maintain a fiduciary responsibility to my owners (thankfully it’s not a trust fund in some bank somewhere), I find that I can accomplish that by providing value and service to my residents. I can reconcile the two vastly different viewpoints on what I do for a living into something that, hopefully, makes life better for everyone involved.
I challenge you, dear reader, to open your own view of the world. See what you might learn by looking outside your comfort zone.
Warning, here be spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick. If you’ve not watched the movie yet, this will give away plot points that might ruin your enjoyment of the film.
Copyright Paramount Pictures 2022
A popular theory states that Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is dead for most of the sequel to the 1986 hit movie. In this theory, it is said that he dies when the Darkstar, traveling in excess of Mach 10, suffers catastrophic failure, as the human body cannot withstand the speed outside an encapsulated environment, so ejection would prove instantly fatal.
The Darkstar suffering catastrophic failure at Mach 10.4. Copyright Paramount Pictures 2022
According to the fan theory, the remainder of the film is a ‘death dream’ in which Maverick comes face to face with his own mortality, grieves the loss of Goose and Iceman, and rectifies his past. While I do agree that Maverick dies in the film, I disagree with the point in time in which it occurs.
The Darkstar was shown to be built by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division, the same division responsible for the SR-71 “Blackbird”, a high-altitude supersonic reconnaissance jet.
Skunk Works logo on the control stick of the Darkstar. Copyright Paramount Pictures 2022
It’s worth noting that on January 25th, 1966, the SR-71 suffered a catastrophic failure at Mach 3.2, in which the crew not only had the vessel disintegrate around them but survived thanks to their pressure suits. It stands to reason that Lockheed Martin would have taken this into consideration in the creation of their successive projects. In fact, Kelly Johnson (the founder of the Skunk Works) commented on the efficiency of the pressure suits:
“We set ourselves a very high goal in providing crew escape systems. We were determined to develop a system good for zero escape velocity on the ground and through the complete flight spectrum, having speeds above Mach 3 at 100,000 feet. We did achieve our design goals…. I have never been convinced that a capsule ejection is required for anything other than high velocity re-entry from outer space. Our escape system in a very important sense really provides a capsule, which is the pressure suit, which is surely capable of meeting the speeds and temperatures likely to be encountered in the near future of manned aircraft.”
“Some Development Aspects of the YF-12A Interceptor Aircraft”, Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, Vice President, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California, July 1969. As quoted in Miller, Jay, “Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works”, Midland Publishing Ltd., page 212, middle of column 2
Indeed, we can see Maverick wearing a pressure suit as he prepares and pilots the Darkstar. With the G-forces over three-times that of the SR-71 failure, the argument could be made that the pressure suit was not built to survive such a failure, but Johnson’s commentary regarding the YF-12A (a prototype supersonic interceptor that preceded the SR-71) suggests that Skunk Works would plan for ‘the complete flight spectrum’ and that Maverick’s pressure suit would be sufficient to ensure his survival.
Having established the plausibility of Maverick’s Mach 10.4 survival, the movie continues as Maverick returns to Top Gun, reunites with Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (the son of Maverick’s RIO “Goose” in the original film), as well as Penny Benjamin, a one-time flame mentioned in passing in 1986 (“…high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral’s daughter!”).
Fast-forward to Maverick leading the final mission of the movie, an incursion into an unnamed enemy territory to destroy an enriched uranium plant before it can come online, in a sequence straight out of Star Wars. Following a high-speed trench run flight through a canyon to evade SAM placements, the pilots must destroy a three-meter exhaust port ventilation shaft with precision strikes. Of course, the mission is a success, but the exfiltration sees the team come under attack as they are forced into the SAM radar envelope and immediately besieged from all sides. Missiles are flying, jets are evading, and flares fill the sky as they make their way out of enemy territory: until Rooster’s jet runs out of flares with a pair of missiles closing.
Maverick returns to a maneuver we’ve seen again and again from the first time he performed it in the original film, slowing his jet, pulling back on the stick, and deploying his own flares directly above Rooster to counter the first missile. Having bled off too much air speed, however, he is struck by the second missile and goes down.
“I’m going to hit the brakes, he’ll fly right by” Copyright Paramount Pictures 2022
The other jets leave the area, and we see Maverick has ejected safely and has parachuted to the ground, where he is met by a Mil MI-24 Hind attack helicopter. Not only does he dodge a barrage of autocannon fire by hiding behind a fallen tree, the helicopter is destroyed as Rooster returns to the scene and is shot down by a missile.
Maverick and Rooster reunite, and make their way to a destroyed enemy airfield, where they find the only intact aircraft: an F-14 Tomcat; Maverick’s pride and joy from the original film. Here, Maverick gets to shine as Rooster takes on the back-seat role of the RIO just like his father had so many years ago. We see some fantastic flying and action sequences, as Maverick and the F-14 take on two 5th generation fighters and win despite the superior technology of the enemy planes.
A third enemy fighter almost destroys the F-14, but for the timely intervention of the backup fighter piloted by Hangman, the cocky, ambitious pilot that didn’t make the cut to join the primary mission. Having lost his front landing gear, Maverick performs a hard landing on the deck of the carrier, and returns to San Diego a hero, where we see him enjoy a happy relationship with Rooster and a rekindled romance with Penny, flying off into the sunset to the sound of Lady Gaga singing a love song.
However, when we examine the sequence, we realize that Maverick likely did not survive the missile strike or his jet crashing at low altitude. He simply didn’t have time to eject. What comes after the impact is a perfect buttoned-up resolution to all of Maverick’s failings thus far, and it allows him to be the hero of his own story before the lights go out.
Maverick is nearly engulfed in fire as a missile strikes his F/A-18. Copyright Paramount Pictures 2022
Not only does everything line up perfectly to allow an aging pilot (granted, with demonstrably amazing flying skills) to defeat two vastly superior enemy jets, but he repairs every relationship that matters. Just as he’s about to have his happy moment, Penny’s daughter Amelia (named for a famous pilot who crashed and was never found, mind you) steps into his line of sight and simply looks as though she’s waiting for him before showing him where to go.
Amelia: Penny’s Daughter or Maverick’s guide into the afterlife? Copyright Paramount Pictures 2022
This is punctuated by the flight into the sunset and the lyrics of the song “Hold my Hand” that plays in the final shot:
Hold my hand, everything will be okay I heard from the heavens that clouds have been grey Pull me close, wrap me in your aching arms I see that you’re hurtin’, why’d you take so long
To tell me you need me? I see that you’re bleeding You don’t need to show me again But if you decide to, I’ll ride in this life with you I won’t let go ’til the end
So cry tonight But don’t you let go of my hand You can cry every last tear I won’t leave ’til I understand Promise me, just hold my hand
Hold My Hand, Lady Gaga 2022 Songwriters: Michael Tucker and Stefani Gemanotta Copyright Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Hold My Hand is not a love song; this is a song of mourning and grief for the loss of someone you love. This is Maverick’s goodbye, a song to usher him into the afterlife.
I know you’re scared and your pain is imperfect But don’t you give up on yourself I’ve heard a story, a girl, she once told me That I would be happy again
Hold My Hand, Lady Gaga 2022 Songwriters: Michael Tucker and Stefani Gemanotta Copyright Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Trying to find goals that I can set for myself is challenging when I don’t know what I want with my life. Conceptually, I know I want a few things, but do I really want them, or is it something that I feel like I should want because that’s just the way it is.
I want to buy a house. Nothing big or fancy, but something with a yard that I can continue my homesteading on. Currently, I am a renter so I cannot make drastic changes or additions, so something that’s “mine” would be nice for this. That said… I don’t really have the money to make those changes anyway, so, do I really want to make such a big commitment?
I want to buy an electric car. It doesn’t have to be new, but I would like to divest from the low-mileage SUV I’m currently driving. A Tesla Model S would be nice, and I’m seeing them used for around $35k- $40k, so it’s attainable, but I haven’t researched the add-on costs that would come with such a vehicle. I don’t want a hybrid; I actually want to get away from gas completely.
I want to go back to school, to get into the legal field again. Or… do I? Is this just dissatisfaction with my current position? I feel like (and have had others say) I do well in multifamily property management, so I wonder if it’s just burnout at the current position. I’m also trying to learn some programming skills, but this is just for my personal satisfaction. I have a few ideas I want to see if I can bring to life.
The one thing I do know is that I enjoy worldbuilding. I’m having fun working on the Chronicles of Solia, especially now that I’ve been using WorldAnvil to organize it all. I would absolutely love to publish, but the first step is to get something to the point where I’d feel comfortable doing so. That requires removing content that I’d added in over the years from published modules and such, and also defeating the impostor syndrome goblin that lives in my brain rent-free.
I understand the concept of S.M.A.R.T. goals. But finding something that I’m sure about needs to be the first step to setting a goal.
It was my ex-wife’s idea, to raise chickens and start a garden. I’d put her in charge of monitoring things and keeping up with it all, but now that she’s no longer here it has fallen to me. I can say: I’m glad we did it. It’s a small piece of land, tucked alongside the house and not much bigger than a postage stamp. We don’t get too much direct sun, so most fruits are out of the question. I did some lettuce earlier in the year, but I’m still getting the hang of making it sustainable.
The chickens (all five of them) are producing eggs at a wonderful pace. One of the eggs brought in this morning was a double-yolk, full of rich flavor. It made a wonderful sandwich, fried up and paired with some ham. The tomatoes in the garden are bright green, some the size of a baseball, and will make a wonderful addition to salads and omelets once they ripen.
As a surprise, the youngest and I were able to pick a large bowl full of blackberries from the backyard. Split into thirds and shared with him and the oldest, they didn’t last long but they were also quite delicious. Almost makes me rethink the idea of removing the bushes this fall/winter. Almost.
We had sugar snap peas through late spring and early summer, but I had to remove them after a fungal growth started up, as I didn’t want to risk spreading to the rest of the garden. I’ll remember to get some fungicide for next year, I hope.
It’s work, but the rewards are most certainly worth it.
I find myself looking for a purpose, devoid of passion or a driving goal. My world is in somewhat of a tumultuous period where everything is the same and, at the same time, everything is changing.
Professionally, I am in a stable position that has the side effect of draining my passion from the industry away. It feels as though the property itself (not the people, that’s a whole different conversation) has a will to resist change and improvement. Everything we do to make things better turns into a long, drawn out fight that just saps my will to continue. Nevermind that I’ve been at this community for over two years and it feels just as rough as when I started.
On a personal level, I thought I was happy, but now I’m not so sure. My partner went on a journey of self discovery during the pandemic, triggered by the death of a family member, and thus far the result has drastically changed the paradigm of what our relationship was. I’m trying to be understanding and patient, but find myself frustrated and angry more often than not. It has bothered me enough that I have actually started seeking out professional assistance, as I no longer feel I have the coping mechanisms necessary to handle this myself.
I need to set a goal for myself. Something I can track and measure to know if I’m actually getting somewhere in my life. But… what is it?
Life comes at you fast. What you took for granted suddenly becomes a thing of you past, and you find yourself suddenly adrift in an unknown ocean.
I started work on Monday last week just as if it were any normal day. I processed payroll, responded to emails and phone calls from prospective residents, and then started on other projects for the day. Continue reading →
I’m one of those who cannot ignore a story that wants to be told. In some of my MMO Gaming blogs, I talked about running multiple characters and the muses that inspire them. Lately, I’ve begun to notice that the muses (or Alt-aholism, if you prefer) has started to strike outside the digital realm. Continue reading →
For most of my adult life, I have used ballpoint or rolling ballpoint pens. I prefer the Pilot Precise V5 for my day to day work, as well as the cartography that comes with my hobbies.
That actually looks to change now. I picked up a Lamy Safari fountain pen after some review for use in keeping notes and general writing, but it feels like I am more likely to turn to it as my daily use pen.
Official Website of Jay Koster 