No Guts No Glory

Posted on April 17, 2026 by eternalpioneer

Can You Imagine?

Can you imagine Christopher Columbus standing on the shore gazing out at the endless Atlantic Ocean? At the time, everyone believed the earth was flat, and if you sailed out far enough, you would drop off the edge into some kind of abyss. But Columbus had doubts about this theory, and it seemed a bit bizzare to him.

What would the edge of the world look like? Would it be one continuous waterfall with the sea spilling over the edge? Wouldn’t that drain the ocean? What if there was no edge? Then the water would stay where it is. He may have looked at the moon and saw how round it was. Maybe the earth was round, too. That idea sparked a dream in Columbus that would change the world forever.

The Dream Drives the Guts

Once he had that dream, a fire was lit in his soul, and the guts to pull it off were a just a byproduct. This brings up a vital point… the dream drives the guts. Without a vision to strive for, there is nothing to fight for. That same vision drove Joseph Loomis in my book, The Great Idea.

Dreams, Guts and Glory in The Great Idea

The Great Idea has plenty of dreams, guts and glory. Columbus had discovered the New World in 1492, but that world was still new and intimidating a hundred years later. England didn’t settle a colony until Jamestown in 1607, and later, Plymouth in 1620. These first settlers were intrepid pioneers, and their dreams and guts inspired thousands more to make the trip across the Atlantic. Joseph Loomis was one of them, and his dream of freedom gave him the guts to leave his known existence for an unknown land and take his wife and eight children with him.

See “7 Qualities of a Pioneer”

Dreams, Guts and Glory Today

Sadly, not all of us can discover the New World or fly around the moon, but dreams, guts and glory are still with us today. They are a part of the human makeup. Here are a few examples:

The Dream

The dream does not have to be earth-shaking, but it should be life changing for you. One day you read an article or see something on TV and you say, “That is really cool. I could do that.” You might be a factory worker and get the idea to be a paramedic, or look up in the sky and want to be a pilot. If you have the guts, your life will be completely different in five years.

The Guts

The guts are what it takes to achieve the dream. You have to fight for it. This usually entails activities you don’t want to do. Going back to school, getting certification, getting up early, moving to another city. It takes guts to get out of your comfort zone, but if your dream is strong enough, you will do whatever it takes… and you will not quit!

The Glory

I once had a t-shirt for black diamond slopes at a ski resort that said, “No Guts No Glory”. The glory in this case would simply be making it to the bottom without compound fractures. The glory in any endeavor is coming out on the other side, looking back and saying “I made it!.” There is nothing more satisfying than having a dream, applying the guts to get it, and realizing you are in a new world.

Chasing My Rainbows

Posted on March 29, 2026 by eternalpioneer

Why would anyone go chasing rainbows? Because there’s a pot of gold at the end, of course! For the miners in the 1849 Gold Rush, they literally risked their lives to get rich quick. Obviously, this is a metaphor for pursuing an idea that promises great reward, even if it seems like a fantasy. We’ve heard about the miners who lost it all, but some did strike gold! This why so many pioneers risked it all to chase their rainbow… the chance to change their lives forever!

That’s the Way Love Goes

In the late 1970’s, Willie Nelson put out an album with a song called “That’s the Way Love Goes.” The album, “To Lefty from Willie,” was a compilation of songs from a country western singer named Lefty Frizzell. It was one of my favorite albums, and as a guitar player, I learned many songs from it. My roommate and I would jam on his harmonica and my guitar for hours singing Waylon and Willie songs.

In the song, “That’s the Way Love Goes,” the opening verse says, “I’ve been throwin’ horseshoes over my left shoulder. I’ve spent all my life, lookin’ for that four leaf clover. Yet you run with me, chasing my rainbows. Honey, I love you too, and that’s the way love goes.”

That Elusive Four Leaf Clover

Chasing rainbows and that elusive four leaf clover seems like foolishness to many, but to a dreamer, it is his clarion call. These clovers and rainbows are far out endeavors that others can’t imagine. They could be solid dreams like becoming an astronaut or a pilot. Most pilots are the only ones among their peers who ever thought of flying an airplane, much less going into space.

Four leaf clovers could also be flights of fancy that may or may not pan out. Like driving to Hollywood to become an actor, only to end up broke. The point is, you tried.

See “Doomed to Sameness: The Agony of Not Trying”

How Willie Saved my Blind Date

The evening was not going well. A friend of mine from work set me up to go out with a daughter of the girl he was dating. Her name was Lisa. I showed up drunk, and we went to dinner, only I didn’t have enough money to pay for it. By the time we got to my house, my roommate was out on the back porch with a nice fire. He told me to grab my guitar and play some outlaw country. Lisa was standing behind me, frowning, and I knew my blind date was totally blown, so I picked the first notes of Willie’s song. When I got to “yet you run with me, chasing my rainbows, Honey, I love you too, and that’s the way love goes.”“ I looked back and Lisa was smiling! I guess Willie saved my blind date. The rest of the story is history.

To read this episode in full, go to the chapter “The Way Love Goes” in my book, From Woodstock to Eternity.

7 Qualities of a Pioneer

Posted on March 8, 2026 by eternalpioneer

The Pioneer Spirit is essential to having an exciting life, but what qualities make up that spirit? Here are 7 Qualities of a Pioneer that are shared by all who have this gift. I guess you can be productive and successful without being particularly daring, but all of us share at least some of these qualities, as they are part of the human makeup. For those who have all these and more, keep on truckin’. If you don’t, let these motivate you to get up and do what you have wanted to do all along.

From Woodstock to Eternity!

A Pioneer Dares to Dream

It may sound trite, but even the Bible says, “without a vision the people perish” Proverbs 29:18. Motivational speakers, network marketers, visionaries, preachers, everyone says you need a dream to pursue. Life has dealt some people so many disappointing blows that they feel they cannot dream again, but don’t let the past win out over your future. “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13

Pioneers are Willing to Leave their Old Life Behind

This is a deal killer for many. They don’t want to leave family, or friends, or what they are familiar with to take the next step. But think of Abraham – he left everything in his old land of Ur to follow God’s promise. For the Christian, it’s more than a new job, or the chance for a promotion – it’s believing you have heard the will of God and you are willing to follow it, no matter the cost.

A Pioneer is Compelled to Try

Since the pioneer has dreams and a lust for adventure, he always wonders what is out there that he hasn’t discovered yet. If a particular challenge presents itself, he envisions what “success” would look like and realizes he may not be able to fathom where life could take him. Then, the possibilities become the prize, and he cannot go through life not knowing what he could have had if he didn’t at least try. He is compelled to try, or he will be miserable the rest of his life wondering what would have happened… What could have been.

A Pioneer is not Content to Remain the Same

Sameness is a disease, a torture to the pioneer spirit. While he understands the logic of paying dues, building a foundation and a reputation, once he has done that at one level, he must break out and pursue another level. The adventure is not necessarily at the end of the rainbow, it is in the pursuit of the rainbow. The experience of moving onward and upward is the adventure.

A Pioneer sees Present Limitations as Hindrances to Future Opportunities

What some people may consider to be reasonable to take into account, a pioneer sees as an excuse to not take the chance. Rather than accepting limitations as constructive or rational, he looks at them as hurdles that are meant to be jumped. The phrase, “Son, we all have to know our limitations” is not in his vocabulary.

A Pioneer Knows the Risk

Far from being naive, or simple minded in his pursuits, the pioneer knows full well that his attempts may fail.

To a cautious person, that is enough to make them content to stay where they are. To a pioneer, it is the price of admission to a glorious undertaking. Torpedoes? What torpedoes?

The Great Idea

My third book, The Great Idea, applies these qualities of a true pioneer to a great adventurer who crossed the Atlantic with his wife and eight children in 1638, only eighteen years after the Mayflower. This ancestor of mine was one of 20,000 with fire in their hearts to seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This is The Great Idea of all mankind.

The Heart of a True Pioneer

Featured

Posted on March 8, 2026 by eternalpioneer

From Woodstock to Eternity Book Excerpt: Free Look Inside!

“This is the heart of a true pioneer. It isn’t enough just to have a dream and work hard to fulfill it. The pioneer is willing to leave behind all the known quantities of his present reality because he sees them as limitations. And, those limitations are like chains to him. He might as well be in leg irons in a dungeon with one little window where he can watch the world outside change and grow while he is forced to tolerate in an eternal hell of sameness.

When he sees an opportunity that will enable him to break free of those limitations and latch onto an enterprise with untold possibilities, he has to take it. He is compelled. He will not be able to live with himself if he does not at least give it his best shot. It doesn’t matter that some people will die, others will suffer shipwreck, still more will become discouraged and turn back. He never believes it will happen to him.”

The Great Idea

Launch Date

As of this post, I am not finished with The Great Idea, but I expect to have a launch date by the summer of 2026. I hope you will be looking for it… I will post updates.

Next: 7 Qualities of a Pioneer

Hear God for Yourself!

Posted on November 28, 2023 by eternalpioneer

The Message Behind The Steel Wall

As the sequel to “From Woodstock to Eternity,” “The Steel Wall” is a great adventure story full of drama and perils in jail, on coke runs, and stings. It is also a great victory story over all these perils, but the main theme behind these victories is to hear God for yourself. Dustin Morgan tries every spiritual tactic he has heard from teachers and preachers, all to no avail. It is not until he sees clearly from the Bible what God wants him to do in this situation that things begin to turn around.

How can we hear God for ourselves? Here are 4 concepts to understand to truly hear from God

1. God is not all rainbows and butterflies

Contrary to popular opinion, God does not want to “bless” us and give us “favor” the way many preachers portray it. We think it will be all positive things like healing and prosperity, but God is not all rainbows and butterflies. His idea of blessing us and showing us favor is to do in our lives what will ultimately be for our benefit. Romans 5:4 says that perseverance produces character, and an improved character is always to our benefit. But why do we need to persevere? Because we have trials. And Who is behind those trials that cause us to persevere so we build up our character?

2. Total faith means total obedience

Hebrews 11:6 says, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So, to hear from God, we must be completely committed to Him in total faith, and total faith means total obedience. God is not going to reward a milk toast Christian or an unbeliever who thinks he can play some faith game to get what he wants. He wants us to do what he tells us to do. In Dustin Morgan’s case, obeying God required such a gut-wrenching act of obedience that God sent The Steel Wall as a vision to encourage him and put the fear of God in him.

3. Know that God knows what is best for us.

As stated before, God moves on our behalf according to what He sees we need. It is important to know that God knows what is best for us. He may not answer a prayer to be promoted on our job because he sees we need a little more humility and diligence in our character. On the other hand, He may send you a phone call from your boss offering a lead position that you did not expect. The key is to rejoice in what God gives you or tells you to do, knowing that He is in control.

4. Rejoice in God’s answer

This is a hard one, especially when God says, “No.” I know friends in jail now, serving unjust sentences for crimes they did not commit. Did they pray for deliverance? Of course, yet God saw fit to have them serve time anyway. Was God displeased with them? No, He allowed his most faithful apostle Paul to sit in a Roman prison for years. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven,” (Matthew 5:11). If we have total faith and have given ourselves totally over to Him, we can rejoice in God’s answer, knowing we are where He wants us, even if we don’t understand.

5. Not all Doom and Gloom

This is not all Doom and Gloom, however. Sometimes God says, “Yes,” and we are free to celebrate. For Dustin Morgan, after asking, seeking, and knocking on God’s door for an answer, he heard Him. When he heard Him, he obeyed Him, and when he obeyed Him, God moved in the situation and brought about a tremendous victory.

The Steel Wall Prologue – What’s it all about?

Posted on April 14, 2022 by eternalpioneer

What’s It All About?

While an image of a steel wall is powerful and formidable, that one picture, as the saying goes, is worth a thousand words. In this case, it evokes concepts of force, barriers, standards and distinction. It not only implies a clear division between one way or another, but suggests consequences for which one we choose. To give the reader an idea of the principles in The Steel Wall, I composed a “From the Author” page and a “Prologue” as teasers for the rest of the book. The Steel Wall addresses two issues:

1) “What happened to Dustin Morgan?”

This requires a flashback to to the first book, “From Woodstock To Eternity”, to give a glimpse of the early days of hippiedom. For this reason, “From the Author” details the drug culture that accompanied Woodstock Nation and Dustin’s deliverance to freedom. (See: Set the Background: The Mystique of an Era). After Dustin’s conversion, he embarked on the straight and narrow, but was abruptly arrested off the plane he was flying. The book ends.

2) Why Isn’t God Answering My Prayers?

The Prologue brings out the deep spiritual issues facing Dustin Morgan as a dark reality from his past hits him in the face. Even though he had believed in Jesus, repented, and been delivered, God was not answering his prayers. Since everyone can benefit from the hard lessons acted out in this book, I have included excerpts from the Prologue that answer the question.

“What’s it all about?”

Job once said, “Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” As Christians, we often wonder about God’s seemingly indifferent attitude towards our prayers. The apostle James gives the most obvious reason…

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.”

What does it mean to ask amiss? It means to ask for the wrong things. Asking correctly boils down to one thing… God works through obedience. The rub comes when God tells us to do things that go against our previously held ideas. What if He commands us to forsake family, friends, or deeply held convictions? What if obeying these directives would bring scorn down on our heads, humiliation, and personal loss?

What If God Tells Me To Do Something That Costs Me Dearly?

Consider God telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God certainly wouldn’t tell us to kill the son He gave us… or would He? Most of us would stop right there, but Abraham travelled into a deeper realm of faith. If Isaac died, he projected beyond his lifeless body and believed God would raise him back to life. How about Jesus saying that if we leave family and friends for His sake, we will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life? These are hard sayings and require the right responses.

Do I Have To Do What God Says?

When Dustin Morgan was arrested, as a Christian, for crimes he committed in his old life, he found himself facing all these conundrums. His obedience to God would indeed bring down scorn and require him to forsake old bonds. He tried to avoid this with a misdirected faith, but to no avail. Through a chain of harrowing episodes, Dustin discovered a simple truth that explains the mystery of God’s power:

I AM A STEEL WALL FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARE FOR ME AND AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU ARE AGAINST ME

Shooting at the Wrong Target

Posted on February 26, 2022 by eternalpioneer

The Real Story Behind The Steel Wall

The Steel Wall is not just an exciting sequel to From Woodstock to Eternity with drug stings, Coast Guard chases and intrigue. It is the real story of what happened when Dustin Morgan was arrested, as a Christian, for crimes he committed in his old life. Most importantly, it is a journey through how he found out what God wanted him to do to get through a baffling dilemma. Why didn’t God protect him and deliver him, since he no longer did these things? He was shooting at the wrong target.

In the first chapter of The Steel Wall, “The Arrest,” Dustin wracks his brain in the jail cell.

Man, this just ain’t right. I live a depraved, immoral lifestyle and skate through all my drug busts, then I turn Christian and get nailed for something I did four years ago. I’m not even the same person! What’s up with that? Is this the way it’s supposed to be… believe in Jesus, repent, go straight, and then go to jail? (See: Set the Background: The Mystique of an Era )

Shooting at the Wrong Target

What does it mean to ask amiss? It means to ask for the wrong things, or with a wrong understanding of God and how He works. In Dustin’s case, his understanding of how God works didn’t jive with what was happening. Even so, he continued shooting at the wrong target with his prayers, hoping for a good answer. The result? Motion denied, shot down and licking his wounds.

He had been told that, as a believer in Jesus, all his sins were forgiven and forgotten by God. If God forgot about them, then why are they suddenly the cause of being arrested and thrown in jail? Something was wrong. God was not looking out for him like he thought He would.

Answers for Unanswered Prayers

Job once said, “Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” As Christians, we often wonder about God’s seemingly indifferent attitude towards our prayers. So many books have been written about mountains and valleys, why bad things happen to good people, and so on. The apostle James gives the most obvious reason…

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.”

Hard Sayings

Asking correctly boils down to one thing… God works through obedience. The rub comes when God tells us to do things that go against our previously held ideas. What if He commanded us to forsake family, friends, or deeply held convictions? What if obeying these directives would bring scorn down on our heads, humiliation, and personal loss? Consider God telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God certainly wouldn’t tell us to kill the son He gave us… or would He? Most of us would stop right there, but Abraham travelled into a deeper realm of faith. If Isaac died, he projected beyond his lifeless body and believed God would raise him back to life. How about Jesus saying that if we leave family and friends for His sake, we will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life? These are hard sayings and require the right responses.

The Mystery of God’s Power

Dustin would indeed face scorn, humiliation and personal loss, but these were necessary to achieve ultimate victory. He tried to avoid this with a misdirected faith, but to no avail. Through a chain of harrowing episodes, Dustin discovered a simple truth that enabled him to tap into the mystery of God’s Power.

I AM A STEEL WALL FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARE FOR ME AND AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU ARE AGAINST ME

See: The Steel Wall is Here!

Resignation is the Enemy of Triumph!

Posted on July 20, 2021 by eternalpioneer

Resignation: The Final and Most Hazardous Attitude

https://historyinorbit.com/history-white-flag-fascinating

Why is Resignation the most insidious and hazardous attitude we can have? Because Resignation is the enemy of Triumph! It is the point when we simply give up. However, giving up comes from many different interpretations and takes on many different forms. The Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (p. 27) describes how resignation can influence pilot decisions in this way,

Pilots who think, “What’s the use?” do not see themselves as being able to make a great deal of difference in what happens to them. When things go well, the pilot is apt to think that it is good luck. When things go badly, the pilot may feel that “someone is out to get me,” or attribute it to bad luck. The pilot will leave the action to others, for better or worse. Sometimes, such pilots will even go along with unreasonable requests just to be a “nice guy.”

So, resignation can be “What’s the use?” “Someone is out to get me,” or “Go along to get along.”

What’s the Use?

How many times have you felt like this poor guy? You just get to the point where you feel enough is enough. That is the whole strategy of war… make the suffering so great for the other guy that the choice between going on or giving up is made for him. Either surrender or die. When we get to this point, we give up hope, and we feel there is no longer any benefit in pushing on… We just can’t (See my post “Can’t is a Four Letter Word!!”). It takes form in these deceptive attitudes:

No matter how hard I try, nothing seems to work.
If I am going to be accused of something I didn’t do, I might as well do it.
I can’t see how anything I can do will get me any farther, so I might as well give up.

The Bible gives us God’s attitude towards these feelings. The Book of James tells us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Paul the Apostle said he considered the scars he incurred from beatings for his faith to be “marks of the Lord Jesus,” and he gloried in his sufferings for the Gospel. And guess what? The Gospel is still with us today.

VICTIM MINDSET!!! BEEP – BEEP – BEEP!!!

https://www.elttila.com/article/victim-mindset

I can’t succeed because so and so is out to get me. Who is “so and so?” It can be a person, the company you work for, or the government. In any case, this attitude is deadly, and it will kill your dreams, your willingness to work for them, and the pride you will obtain from achieving them.

People who have surrendered to a victim mindset stop striving, give up dreaming, settle for what they now have, and accept welfare and handouts. In “From Woodstock to Eternity,” Dustin Morgan quickly saw this in the communal handouts of the Hog Farm. While it was a worthy short term fix, it would not buy a steak in the long run. The victim mindset is death to success! Resist it at all cost, because Resignation is the Enemy of Triumph.

Go Along to Get Along

https://www.warfighterjournal.com/2015/12/01/the-lesson-of-appeasement/

This is the insidious side of Resignation. It is insidious because it sounds like the proper thing to do. Another term for this is “Appeasement.” Neville Chamberlain tried this with Hitler in World War II, and we know how that turned out. Sometimes peace at all cost is not the answer… especially when it entails making peace with evil. Another word for this is compromise. Compromise means neither side gets all that it wants, and each one needs to surrender a little to meet in the middle. This is good for relationships, but it is not good for your goals. If you want to achieve total victory, going along to get along will only hold you back.

Of course, all of these principles only apply to righteous goals. When we are fighting an evil enemy, we want him to surrender, not us. As General Patton once said, “No war was ever won by dying for your country… war is won by making the other SOB die for his country.” This brings us to the next point… What is the solution to Resignation?

Fight ‘Til You Die

https://www.flags-unlimited.com/blog/damn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead/

The 5 Hazardous Attitudes concern situations encountered in aviation. If a pilot finds himself in such a bad emergency that he thinks he has exhausted all of his options, and there is really no other way out, guess what will happen? He is going to die anyway. That is why I taught all my students to “Fight ‘Til You Die.” Keep struggling, keep thinking, keep analyzing, and by all means, Never Give Up!

Jesus even taught us, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt 10:28

Another way of looking at this is “Damn the torpedoes… Full steam ahead!”

Quitters Never Win, and Winners Never Quit

When I was just a five year old boy, someone told me, “Quitters Never Win.” Be careful what you say to little ones, because they might carry it with them for the rest of their lives, whether it is good or bad. The American Spirit is founded on winning and victory. Not just in war, but in our hearts, in our lives. It is the drive behind the American Dream and everyone everywhere who has a dream. We have to conquer ourselves first, in our habits, our vices, our victim mindset and our pity parties. Christians have the unique power of the Holy Spirit to do this, and it is essential for all of us. When we are free inwardly, life will surrender to us, not us surrender to life.

Macho: Ego Unleashed

Posted on June 21, 2021 by eternalpioneer

Hazardous Attitudes Produce Hazardous Decisions

A Macho attitude is the fourth hazardous attitude of “5 Bad Attitudes” listed in the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (p. 26). Although each attitude can result in a bad decision, they are also intertwined. A Macho pilot has to be anti-authority to break the rules and buzz his girlfriend’s house. He feels invincible, because he doesn’t think his engine will die, leaving him with nowhere to land. He does all this on an impulse, because his friends are in the plane. Pilots with this type of attitude will try to prove themselves by taking risks in order to show off. And, they show off because their ego is unleashed.

Ego Unleashed

Ego unleashed is the driving force behind someone’s macho attitude. He has more than normal pride and self esteem… he has a superlative sense of pride and esteem, believes he is better than everybody else, and everybody else has to acknowledge that. Thus the showing off, the swagger, the bullying and the big talk. It is especially prevalent in young gangs, where recognition is key. Some gangs even require a new member to kill somebody to prove they are fearless and macho.

Two Sides of Macho

The Village People recorded the song, “Macho Man” in 1978. The last verse of the song says,

Every man ought to be a macho, macho man
To live a life of freedom, machos make a stand

Have your own lifestyles and ideals
Possess the strength of confidence, that’s the skill
You can best believe that he’s a macho man.

There are many interpretations of the song, some saying it is a satire, a parody, and a mocking of the macho man image. However, there is another side in this verse that shows the positives of macho. Being a free spirit, taking a stand, having confidence that comes from strength and that gives more strength.

Certainly the attributes of Macho are well ingrained in the American male psyche. We all admire the Navy Seals with their fighting abilities, strict discipline and tough reputation. It’s resilient, strong and durable. It watches NASCAR and football and Barbeques steaks on the grill. It says, “Don’t Mess With Texas.”

Good Ego – Bad Ego

The bad side of Macho happens when someone gets obsessive about his ego and superiority complex. Most of us have come across people who won’t stop talking about themselves, or where they are from, or their views of life in an incessant attempt to make everybody pay attention to them. Sometimes they will keep talking louder and louder until everyone else in the room stops and is forced to hear what he says. This is bad enough in a social setting, but when it is transferred to a job or to the family, the results can be devastating.

Decisions arise out of our own perspectives. If we are cautious, we check all the variables, have a Plan B and a Plan C, and make sure we have all the supplies we need for the venture. Pilots do this for every flight, because the stakes are so high. Military planners do the same, and try to address every scenario. This is a well balanced approach to anything we do… driving, flying, adventure seeking, etc. But there is a point where one can be too cautious and never do anything. This ultimately leads to failure, frustration and disappointment in life. On the other hand, Too much risk taking can take us down into the abyss of unforeseen consequences.

From Woodstock To Eternity – No Guts No Glory

In the book, “From Woodstock To Eternity,” Dustin Morgan entertains a Macho attitude in his fearless attitude towards flying over the Caribbean to Colombia and back with loads of pot. He’s not trying to draw attention to himself, but he sees the endeavor as a gauntlet he must go through to see what’s on the other side. He knew the other side brought money, status, glory and self satisfaction. This made the risk worthwhile, although the penalty eventually caught up with him.

You can read about what happens next in the sequel “The Steel Wall,” which will be ready for publication soon.

Invulnerability: “It won’t happen to me!”

Posted on June 7, 2021 by eternalpioneer

Do you have a sense of vulnerability or invulnerability? To be vulnerable is to feel open and defenseless. It may be a fear that someone is out to get you, circumstances are against you, or life in general is against you. Some people only feel vulnerable in certain situations, while others feel vulnerable all the time. On the flip side, Invulnerability means “not vulnerable.” Those who believe they are invulnerable don’t think anything can hurt them. They can do anything, go anywhere, and break all the rules. Why? Because they firmly believe, “It won’t happen to me.” This attitude can be good or bad…

Definitions of Invulnerability

Invulnerability has two definitions, with the first one logically leading to the second.

Incapable of being wounded, hurt, or damaged.
The false belief that one is somehow safeguarded from the dangers and misfortunes that afflict other people.

Invulnerability by Choice: Risk and Reward

Sometimes, a sense of invulnerability draws the line between staying where you are, and engaging a higher level where there are many unknowns. In the counter culture novel, “From Woodstock To Eternity,” Dustin Morgan has to deal with his own version of invulnerability. When he ponders his first run to Texas, he thinks,

“The conclusion is inevitable. He’ll always wonder what would have happened if he doesn’t. The next level is always a blind leap. You’ll never know until you try. The question is, do you have the guts to try, or is caution going to triumph over glory?“

Caution over glory, or glory over caution, that is the question. In order to justify the risk, we have to accept a measure of invulnerability, that is, it won’t happen to me. The early pioneers had to deal with this issue, and some never made it… however, many did, and they reaped the rewards. No Guts, No Glory

Forced Invulnerability: Combat Under Command

We recently commemorated the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. How many of those soldiers thought they were invulnerable? What if they felt extremely vulnerable and wanted to go back… could they? No. They were under orders to attack, and they had no choice. Although, later in life many reflected on how they felt as young soldiers and said, “I thought I could do anything. I felt invincible, like it would never happen to me.” We all know the outcome. When the need is drastic, the risks are great, and those who meet the call are the ones who make it happen.

Hazardous Invulnerability

In aviation, invulnerability is listed as one of the “5 Bad Attitudes” that contribute to airplane crashes. Many people believe that accidents happen to others, but never to them. They know accidents can happen, and they know that anyone can be affected however they never really feel or believe that they will be personally involved. Pilots who think this way are more likely to take chances and increase risk. Aviation Instructors Handbook 8-17.

For pilots, this could mean neglecting flight planning, refusal to check all the variables for that flight, and maybe even ignoring weather reports. They may try to fly outside the limits of what the plane can do, such as putting it into a roll when it is not made for such maneuvers. One that gets a lot of pilots is called “scud running,” where a pilot will try to circumvent Instrument conditions by flying under and around clouds just by reference to ground features. No bueno.

Practical Invulnerability

This aspect of Invulnerability also applies to everyday living. While there are times when we need to go “into the unknown,” so to speak, most of the time we need to count the cost. Those who make decisions thinking it won’t happen to them reject basic precautions. They don’t use seat belts, they drive drunk or get themselves into situations they have no business being in. This is not to live in a state of fear. rather, to be fearlessly reasonable. Like Dustin Morgan said,

People spend their whole lives trying to keep bad stuff from happening. They starve themselves and jog five miles a day, trying to stay ‘healthy’, then fall down dead from a heart attack. They turn down opportunities to see the world because they’re afraid of flying, then get run over by a Mack truck while they’re looking the other way. Maybe I’m stupid or careless, but I just refuse to let fear keep me from experiencing all that life has to offer.”