Transcending Fear
I saw an older movie the other day, Operation Thunderbolt. It is a true rendition of the 1977 hijacking of an Air France flight that had originated in Israel.
There was lots of courage shown in this movie, but the part I would like to tell you about concerns the French crew. When people with Israeli passports were segregated from the main group, it was made evident that those who were not Israeli were going to be released, and the Israelis would be killed two at a time until the hijacker's demands were met.
The captain of the Air France flight went up to the head hijacker and demanded to know where the the Israelis were going to be taken and for what purpose.
The head hijacker answered: "Just go sit down and be glad you are not going to be with them."
The Air France captain said: "These are my passengers, and they are my responsibility." Then he and his whole crew, as one including the stewardess, went with the Israeli group to their certain death.
This is the part of the movie that touched me the most. That whole crew put their standards of humanity above their fears. They were incapable of doing less. They are my heroes.
Of course, Israel commandos miraculously rescued Israeli hostages including the entire French crew. That doesn't change the heroism and integrity of the amazing crew.
There were many good reasons not given as to why the crew could honestly put their own lives first. They had families dependent upon them and so forth, and yet they did what was honorable, incredibly honorable. If they had put their own lives first above honor and courage, how would they have felt about themselves afterwards?
I can say this because, although I have never been faced with anything like the grand scale of this, I have, on occasion been timid and have let opportunities pass me by that I have long regretted.
I sure hope somebody gave the French captain and crew medals.
Comments
I have a very dim remembrance of this film dear, well, I have a problem with violence, it makes me ill really. This here is such an extrem story, it's so difficult really, I mean thinking now, sitting in my home about such a thing or being really involved, the real thing happening. I don't know what I would do, honestly, I think I would know only the very last minute.
I was wondering about what you mean by saying you were timid, you did the best you felt to do in that moment dear. As Jeshua says: "You never failed on anyone!"
A most timid hug !
Transcending Fear is a Job for the Heart.
Fear is the result of thinking -- primarily, thinking about oneself and what a situation might mean to them, or how it will affect them. These are always fantasies about the future -- but not really THE future, but A future (probably an imagined "worst-case scenario" future). Fear is a product of the brain and body -- conscious and unconscious thought processes. That's why people say, "Don't think about it; just do it!"
Love, Faith, Trust, Courage, and Gratitude are products of the Heart. I can tell you from personal experience that I'd much rather go into a burning building to rescue someone I don't know than stand in front of a room full of people I do know and sing Karaoke! When you do for others, from the heart, there is a much different kind of energy there than when you are doing something for yourself -- especially when the lives of innocents are in jeopardy.
Who knows what they would do, or would have done, in a similar situation. I know some people fantasize about executing a perfect martial arts move (that they've probably never practiced) and saving everyone; while others can quite clearly imagine the paralyzing fear they would be experiencing. But people watch horror movies for that rush of "fear hormones;" and they don't know what they would do in the same situation until, like Berit said, they are right there in that moment.
I can tell you, however, that when your life is in danger, or when you are facing a life-threatening situation to save the lives of others, you are capable of much more than you can imagine when sitting and watching a movie. In such times, you are likely to find yourself completely alive and focused on the moment and the task at hand. And whatever you do will be perfect -- "heroic" or not.
As for regrets, those too are a fear that you made a wrong choice and the future won't be what it was supposed to be -- which is simply a judgment. Everything is as it should be. What great things have you done since that might not have happened otherwise? Who knows? You do too much good with your time to spend it on regrets and fantasies of mistakes and wrong choices!
You are perfect. You are a gift!
Bless you!