“Flight into Darkness”
Chapter 1
July 17, 2002
Captain Ryan Mitchell checked the time—10:59 P.M. It was all happening too fast; as if he’d been beamed from beneath the covers of his bed, transported to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and dropped into the cockpit of a commercial jet waiting for takeoff: another routine red-eye to New York (JFK)—another anniversary he would have to spend alone. (Opening paragraph of “Flight into Darkness” – rough draft).
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| Captain Ryan Mitchell checked the time--10:59 P.M. |
“Beyond sin, beyond death, I am the thing that darkness fears. You’ll never see me, but I am everywhere: every being, every thought, every drop of hate. My name is Evil.” (unknown)
Today, collectively as a nation, we are reminded of that tragic day: September 11, 2001—better known as 9/11 (nine-eleven). It was a day that stripped the mask off the face of Evil for all to see, making it impossible for us to simply live out our lives, obliviously and hopelessly depending on a “system” to keep us safe. It was a wakeup call to the fact that we live in an evil world.
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” (Albert Einstein)
How do we explain:
September 11, 2001: Nineteen hijackers (terrorists) took control of four commercial airliners and flew them into the Twin Towers in New York, into the Pentagon, and crashed in an open field, killing almost 3,000.
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| Twin Towers - New York |
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| Pentagon - Washington, D.C. |
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| Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami |
August 2005: Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of New Orleans wreaking havoc on life and property.
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| Hurricane Katrina - New Orleans |
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| Earthquake - Pakistan and Kashmir |
Questions: If there is a God, and if He is a good, wise and supremely powerful God, then why is there such a thing as evil? We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked, but should we be surprised?
“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.” (Deuteronomy 30:15)
We cry out for answers to the elusive questions listed above, begging for an end to the pains associated with evil, as we often overlook the fact that the line between good and evil is not simply a line between “us” and “them” but a line that has run through every individual and every society for all of time.
Nine years ago, as an airline pilot working for the largest airline in the world, my life (directly affected by the aftermath of 9/11) veered down an unexpected fork in the road—the beginning of a life-changing journey. Personal and professional challenges were relentless.
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| Captain Mike Coe - 2001 |
FID was inspired by my reality and is a reflection of my nine-year journey. Bolstered by the theme that fear and faith are diametrically opposed, I have instructed my fictional story characters to give you the performance of their lives as they battle impossible situations while being overwhelmed by fear and Evil. Perhaps their story will offer new insights into the question: “How do we live in the midst of an evil world?”
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me…” Psalm 23:4 (NRS)
Sometimes we have a choice:
Taken from dialogue spoken by Morpheus in "The Matrix" (In Greek mythology, Morpheus was the god of dreams.)
"You take the Blue Pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the Red Pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. I'm only offering you the TRUTH... nothing more."
"The Matrix" (sound track) meets "The Lion King" (video)
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