Welcome!  This blog is, in a sentence, about my ongoing attempt to cultivate wisdom and growth in everyday life experiences, from serious to silly and everywhere in between. 

Who am I?

I’m an airline pilot, military veteran, and former USAF fighter pilot.  I’ve traveled and lived all over the world.  In addition to more than twenty years of being a professional aviator and military officer, I have experience in teaching, political science, strategic thought, and international diplomacy. 

These days, I’m living in Wisconsin and settling into a second career as an airline pilot.  More importantly, I’m a husband and dad.  I’m Catholic.  I love cheese and football and cool cars.  I brew beer, I do CrossFit, and I play the guitar.  I’m learning how to ride horses. 

About the title

An afterburner is a thrust-generating component added to the rear of some jet engines.  Most often present on high-speed military aircraft, the afterburner gives the pilot the benefit of a large boost in thrust, at the cost of high fuel consumption.  Having flown afterburner-equipped aircraft for many years, I learned that the afterburner was a useful (and entertaining!) tool, but its rapid depletion of an always-limited fuel supply meant that it had to be used judiciously.  If one used the afterburner too much, fuel was quickly depleted, and the pilot would have to return to base without completing the mission, or was then perhaps more vulnerable to enemy attack.  If one didn’t use the afterburner when needed and appropriate, the pilot would fail to maximize the capabilities of the aircraft, again at the risk of failing the mission or falling to enemy attack.

As I see it, the concept of the afterburner is apt metaphor for personal growth; not only does one need knowledge, but also the wisdom to apply it in the most optimal time and manner.  This aligns well with the ideas of the ancient philosopher Aristotle, for whom wisdom was more than just exercise of knowledge; rather, it concerned the context and the reasons for the decisions we make.  For Aristotle, wisdom was distinct from the knowledge of science (2+2=4), or the knowledge of an art or skill (i.e., a potter or a blacksmith).  Practical wisdom was something that the individual carried at all times, based on past experiences, values, and knowledge that could be exercised in a particular situation to make decisions resulting in the best possible outcome.  Making consistently good decisions, for the philosopher, led to a sort of moral and ethical spiral, where sound thought patterns and good decisions led to increased wisdom, which then led to better thought patterns and decisions, and so on.  In short, gaining practical wisdom was the process of growth in doing the right things at the right times for the right reasons.  Thus, the title “Afterburnings” holds meaning as a metaphor for gleaning wisdom from a particular question, issue, or situation. 

What’s with the drawings?

During a personally challenging period a couple of years ago, I took up an on-again, off-again hobby of pencil drawing as something of a mindfulness practice.  What makes drawing interesting to me is that so much about drawing involves the quality of seeing, that is, the translation of a three-dimensional mental image onto a flat sheet of paper, rather than just being an exercise of fine motor control.   This, to me, is a fascinating metaphor of how we see the world; everything we do, see, and read is influenced by our own worldview and experiences; a personal scrim, one might say.  Besides all of that, I enjoy drawing as, once again, a way to slow down and develop my brain in a different way. 

What Can You Expect To See Posted?

My plan is a weekly-ish post of my attempts to apply a growth perspective to what I’ve found interesting or curious in current news, events, or life in general.

What’s in it for you?

Great question.  Hopefully, content that is entertaining, thought- and conversation-provoking.  Also, maybe a useful travel tip here and there.  I am an airline pilot, after all. 

Read more about Afterburnings here and here. 

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