Tight tolerances

Most of the time we can get away with being imprecise, such that when we see absolute precision we find it exhilarating.  Such was the case on the 10th anniversary of 911, when the United States Airforce Thunderbirds put on an extraordinary show over Niagara Falls, the only airshow in the country on that day.  Talk about tight tolerances!  What they do is an amazing feat of technology combined with the personal fortitude of the pilots and backup crew to perfect their individual ability to perform to the highest of standards.  Even though I know the stats on how many times the Thunderbirds have successfully performed these maneuvers without crashing, the sound and spectacle still made my heart flutter. I, the 50,000 plus folks in attendance, and a major portion of the population within a 25 mile radius are still ooo-ing and ahhh-ing.   It's not possible to refrain from catching your breath when the planes soar overhead, no matter how many times you've seen the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels perform.


The commemoration was made even better for me as my family was escorted around the base by my sister's son, Eric, a proud member of the Airforce.  Speaking of precision, check out the action shots of the Thunderbirds, taken by my cousin, Cindy, with her precision camera.  Amazing!


Overall, life is a pretty imprecise proposition.  In many instances we can get through our days almost, sorta, kinda, maybe; sometimes we're in a fog, and frequently we're just not sure.  Carlos Miceli stated in his essay on the Consequences of Imprecision, "We live in imprecise times.  Our desires and fears are tainted with subjectivity.  There's no right or wrong, no black or white, no real or imaginary."  I very rarely am required to perform any tasks that require anywhere near the precision that the professionals that fly those planes.  But watching them, I am inspired to push myself a little harder, strive a little more, run just a bit farther, and remember how lucky I am to be able to have the freedom to do so.
Até amanhã... 
9/11/11 - 2.0 miles | 21 min | 5.4 mph | 211 kcal