This week a 29-year-old aviation bag thrower stole an empty commercial plane, performed a barrel roll before crashing in an apparent suicide. Audio traffic of his conversation with flight control reveals a young man frustrated with the world, but surprisingly relatable to all of us.

Richard Skyking Russel was married, well-liked by his colleagues, and was passionate about aviation and travelling the world.

Many men express a lack of purpose, where one has no choice but to serve the machine and be extracted for their worth before they are discarded. No personal achievement. No fulfilment. No feeling of even being alive. We all suffer under the crushing weight of industrialised life

We are all Richard.

If only for a brief, beautiful moment, Richard truly lived as a free man, living Man's oldest dream, completely, utterly free.

It's important for men to identify our disposable nature in this society, and take mitigated risks towards pursuing our passions.

Find small challenges that can be achieved through discipline and concurrently pursue broader life passions that change one's circumstances. If you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards.

Lessons Learned:

Pursue your passions above all else.

Live a life worth living.

Keep a journal.

Lift. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Talk to your friends, ask if they're okay.

If you're feeling the call of the void, speak to someone, be it a friend, a colleague, a moderator here.

Blue skies and tailwinds, Skyking.