A Bridge Between Physical and Spiritual
I'm 36,000 feet in the air and moving at 542 miles per hour over Labrador, Canada. The immense power of human ingenuity propels me. Beside me, my daughter sits, desperately struggling against the pull of slumber — no doubt confused by the flurry of activity over the last several days. My wife, on the other side of her, watches closely — reassuring her when turbulent air bounces our tube around in the sky.
We're flying.
Flight has been a recurring theme in my life. I remember sitting atop my Dad's shoulders in the scorching Texas sun at Carswell Air Force Base, looking up as fighter jets thundered past. I was born on an Air Force base, served in the Air Force, and remain close to friends rising through the ranks. Many of them are pinning on Lieutenant Colonel, quite the ascent from our beer-chugging shenanigans as ROTC cadets.
When I think about my favorite experiences, travel is a common denominator. From horseback riding through the coffee fields of Guatemala to taking Limoncello shots atop Mount Etna — travel is good for the soul, and flight is the ultimate enabler.
The ability to reach the skies has always been the pinnacle of innovation. Pre-industrial humans gazed up at birds with a sense of awe, longing to experience the freedom that flight provides. For centuries, it was believed humans were not meant to take to the skies. In 1903 a New York Times article titled "Flying Machines Which Do Not Fly" predicted it would take one to ten million years to achieve manned flight. They deemed an attempt at Langley Field a "ridiculous fiasco" and concluded their pessimistic piece with, "To the ordinary man, it would seem as if effort might be employed more profitably."
Just nine weeks later, the Wright Brothers achieved manned flight. We may have been made to fly after all. Today, we reach higher and higher. And judging by the resurgence of NASA t-shirts, space is cool again (thanks, Elon).
Recently, the concept of flight has resurfaced in my life. However, this time it is not in a physical way but rather in a spiritual sense.
The sky has played a central role in many religions throughout history, serving as a symbol of the divine, a source of inspiration and wonder, and a gateway to other realms. In many ancient cultures, the sky was associated with powerful deities who controlled the elements and guided human affairs. For example, the ancient Egyptians worshipped the sky goddess Nut (pronounced newt), who was believed to swallow the sun at night and birth it again in the morning.
Similarly, in Greek mythology, Zeus ruled over the sky and wielded lightning bolts as a symbol of his power. In modern religions, the sky continues to hold a significant place, with many monotheistic faiths seeing it as a symbol of the transcendent and infinite nature of God. In Christianity, the sky is often portrayed as a gateway to heaven, where believers will one day join God in eternal life. In Islam, the sky is seen as a symbol of the majesty and power of Allah, who created the heavens and the earth.
Symbolism and the sky are not reserved just for religion, though. The sky has long been a symbol of human consciousness, representing the infinite and transcendent nature of the human mind. Just as the sky extends endlessly above us, so does our consciousness reach beyond our physical bodies, encompassing our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions.
In many traditions, the sky is also seen as a reflection of the human soul, with its vast and ever-changing expanse mirroring the complexity and fluidity of our inner lives. This symbolism of the sky highlights the inherent mystery and beauty of human consciousness, which can be both awe-inspiring and difficult to comprehend.
At the same time, the sky reminds us that, like the ever-expanding universe, each individual's potential for growth and transformation is limitless. Ultimately, the symbolism of the sky invites us to contemplate the mysteries of the human mind and the infinite possibilities within us.
I’m attempting a personal flight, one of self-transcendence — a movement beyond the limitations of my ego. This requires a shift in perspective as I try to push beyond the confines of my limited experience and gain a broader, more holistic understanding of the world. Self-transcendence is a means of breaking down the barriers between the self and the external world, similar to how flight breaks down the barrier between earth and sky.
And like the manned flight killjoys at the NYT, or Barry Goldwater, who called Kennedy “moon-stuck,” saying, “while our eyes are fixed upon it, we could lose the earth or be buried in it,” there will be naysayers. There will be those who think it cannot be done, some who think it’s not worth the effort, and others who have no idea what I’m talking about. But the push to new frontiers must continue.
