on life and noisy engines

Taxiing down the tarmac, the jetliner abruptly stopped, turned around and returned to the gate. After an hour long wait, it finally took off.

A concerned passenger asked the flight attendant, "What was the problem?"

"The pilot was bothered by a noise he heard in the engine," he explained... "It took us awhile to find a new pilot."

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hehehe. i found this joke more amusing than funny, really.. and i can't help but notice that oftentimes, we do just as the flight attendant in the joke did. when we hear things we do not like or do not agree with, we tend to tune them out. instead of looking at the problems squarely, we simply find people who will tell us that everything is fine - we have absolutely nothing to worry about.

a new (and probably deaf) pilot.. a "loyal" yesman.. a fair-weather friend.. an opportunistic adviser. hmm. are these really the people we want to have with us when we hear the noises in the engine of our lives? are these the ones we rely on for guidance and support when we encounter problems?

turning a deaf ear to noisy engines. admittedly, i've been doing this quite often. it's been some kind of habit i guess. but it's never too late to learn the lessons of the past. not 'til the plane has crashed, so to speak.

i've heard noises in my engine. i'm going to hunt for my Old Pilot Ü