In a previous post, I mentioned the ABCDE checklist for handling emergencies.   My cousin commented that perhaps it is true that we learned everything we needed to know in kindergarten.    I didn’t really understand her comment at the time, because I really don’t think I learned anything in kindergarten, which is not to say the teacher didn’t try.   I think I was too scared of being around all those other kids to take anything in.

My cousin, who is a master of all trades (including medicine), noted that the ABCDE mnemonic is used in advanced trauma life support as well as flying.   I’m sure it is used all over the place, but let’s see if we can torture the aviation metaphor a bit and stretch it to good old life in general:

What does it mean to trim to the best Airspeed?  It usually means to slow down to the speed at which the airplane glides the farthest.    In a crisis, time does appear to slow down.   But, given a critical situation, it is important not to rush to judgment.  That is how we are most likely to screw up.   When all else fails, slow down.

Best field.   Where is the best place to land?  Perhaps that is another way of saying decide what you would like the outcome to be.   Crises cloud our judgment.  Panic ensues and we can only see what is in front of us.   As you slow down, take the time to decide what you would like the outcome of the crisis to look like.

Checklist.  In aviation, this means to begin the problem-solving process.  Run through the options.   What went wrong?  Can you diagnose the cause of the problem?   Back up and look at where the problem began and think it through.  What could have led to the malfunction?   What could the possible solutions be?

Declare an emergency.   Talk to people who might be in a position to help.  Talk to lawyers.  Talk to people who have been there before.  Find a good therapist.  It was Freud who is said to have invented the “talking cure,” but Catholics have had their confessionals long before that.   I am a huge fan of advisors, who nowadays call themselves consultants, psychotherapists, ministers or coaches.   Get advice, and use that advice with discernment.

Emergency checklist.   This is where you go to the manual and do the things the manufacturer tells you to do before crashing.   Perhaps you need to crack open the door so that it doesn’t get stuck, throw a coat between you and the windscreen, tighten your seat belts, and shut off the fuel flow.  You are doing whatever must be done to increase your odds of surviving the crash.   The point here is that the fat lady has yet to sing, that it ain’t never over until it’s over.  If you are going to crash, you need to fly all the way into the crash; never stop flying until you and your passengers are safely out of the airplane.

None of us are immune to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, but we might be able to cushion the blow, or even escape through a door that opens way past the point of no return. Humans are incredibly resilient, or at least we can be, if we remember to keep flying.