I am a former Air Force officer. From a very young age, I was passionate about military life and everything that was linked to it. It was no wonder, I received a great influence from my father who was a soldier of the sea, a sailor.
Everything I heard that was in some way related to the Armed Forces fascinated me and immediately captured my attention.
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Alpha — The beginning.
In the last year of elementary school, my math teacher liked to read us a book called “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”
One day, we saw him take his book out of the bag, we were already preparing to listen to his daily introduction to classes.
This day for me would be different; He opened the book and placed the reading; I looked around me looking for a look that was willing to talk a little because that day I didn’t want to pay attention. I was unsuccessful and had no choice but to wait for the start of the liturgy.
Bravo — The substance.
The professor stopped at a few pages, read a little in his mind, looked at us, and out loud said the title of what he intended to read “Who packed your parachute?”
That shocked me, my whole brain tried to put every thought in its place so that I could pay attention to that formidable title. I already imagined in my head a hangar full of folding tables with personnel dressed in fatigues (camouflage), and folding parachutes. I was very excited.
However, I didn’t imagine that that reading went much further than uniforms and parachutes. The reading ended and when I was about 12 or 13 years old, I began to see everyone differently, as if that reading introduced an analysis chip into my head that placed balloons or clouds of dialogue on top of people where I could see how the actions and work, they carried out impacted my day and that of others.
I saw the janitor staff and above them was that imaginary cloud that I mentioned before, showing me a kind of short film in which I observed how they arrived early in the morning, before everyone else, to organize and clean the school so that we would be in a hygienic environment.
I saw that balloon or cloud in everyone; the janitor opening the school, the teachers preparing the night before for class the next day, using their rest time to correct exams, and the school transport driver checking that everything in the vehicle was working correctly.
Thus, the days passed, and my mind entertained me by observing and analyzing all the people who had to do something so that the lives of others functioned correctly.
Charlie – Adulthood.
Even when I hear people describe me as someone cold emotionally, that reading is still part of my daily life. My empathy with others, and my desire to help whoever I can extend a hand to, are part of my being.
Courtesy and kindness with whoever provide me a service or interacts with is intrinsically related to my dogma of life.
All the people around us who pack our parachutes every day are part of the mechanism that allows us to live, survive, and develop our routines.
The city council workers who collect garbage so that an epidemic does not break out, those who transport our medicines, meals, fuel, clothing, and everything that allows you to do your daily routines, pack your parachute.
Those who educate and take care of your children, the one who repairs your car, the one who places the food you buy in the supermarket. They all pack your parachute.
Have you ever wondered who maintains the brakes of the plane, train, or car that transports you? That one also packed your parachute and if you’re reading this it means it worked!
I hope these lines lead you to reflect on the most obvious things in life that we take for granted. Be polite, be kind. Saying thank you and please costs nothing and is worth a lot.
No one walks around with a sign on their back that indicates their problems or state of mind, but I assure you that we all carry a backpack, some heavier than others, and even so we must continue to interact and serve others.
Being brave does not take away from being courteous, money does not make you a better person than anyone else.
Being obnoxious, arrogant, and arrogant does not look sexy nor does it make you more macho in front of women, nor does it make women more interesting in front of men. It just makes you look like an ill-mannered, self-conscious piece of trash.
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Delta – ee it yourself.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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