A couple of days ago, a pilot steering a small plane, a Cessna 208 Caravan, had a medical emergency. The only passenger in the plane realized something was amiss and went up to check on the pilot only to find him “incoherent”. He somehow got in touch with Air Traffic Control and said that he had a “serious situation” aboard the aircraft he was on. The pilot was knocked off and he did not know how to fly.
The plane was flying back to Florida from the Bahamas.
The good news is that Darren Harrison the passenger was calm and collected and was able to follow instructions from the Air Traffic Controller and miraculously was able to land the aircraft safely at Palm Beach International Airport.
Impossible, you might think. But it wasn’t. It is an amazing story and since you must have all read it I won’t go into the details of the case. Darren Harrison remained calm, very much in the present moment and it was because he was completely focussed that he was able to land that small plane with assistance from Air Traffic Control, thereby saving both his and the pilot’s life.
In life, many situations can occur like this – totally unexpected and completely out of the blue. It is where your clear-thinking ability and your uncluttered and disciplined mind will allow you to focus on the job at hand, thereby helping you come out of an absolute nightmarish situation alive and completely unscathed.
You can say that God had a hand in helping Darren Harrison steer that aircraft. Perhaps He had. But it was because Harrison could remain focussed that he could concentrate and thereby save himself, the pilot and the plane. He landed the plane like a pro – trained pilots who saw the landing could not believe their eyes – that someone who was absolutely untrained in flying could have done this.
Spiritual gurus often suggest that mantra-chanting and meditation is a great way to train and discipline your mind. One doesn’t know if Darren Harrison is someone who meditates. Perhaps he is a natural-born leader who can take charge instantly in any situation, however bizarre it may be, but for the rest of us, meditation can help us unclutter our minds and see things logically and clearly.
It may be a good idea to learn meditation, either by doing a short course on it through a spiritual organisation or by downloading an online app. Many of these are free courses or may cost a small amount of money – a token amount to cover the cost of infrastructure in the organisation that you learn it in. Go for it. One day, your calm, collected mind may help you in saving yours and others' lives.