September 9, 2024
A mushroom-tripping pilot’s dangerous act reveals lessons such as Shaman Economics…
We had just discussed psychedelics and psychotropics (see EP 106), and then we kept the recording rolling because…
A pilot was accused of trying to bring down a plane in an apparent suicide attempt!
That pilot is Joe Emerson. He was NOT actually on duty. He was in the jump seat when he pulled safety levers designed to cut off the engines in the event of an engine fire. 83 other lives were put at risk by his actions.
Emerson blames extreme grief that depressed him and stole his sleep. He self-medicated with psilocybin (mushrooms), sleep vanished entirely, and then he boarded the plane. During that flight, he felt trapped in unreality. To exit his uncomfortable, dreamlike state, he pulled those levers.
Emerson claims that after pulling those levers, he realized he’d done something bad in reality.
Emerson is facing more than 80 criminal charges.
Clear Skies
Regardless of what you think of Emerson or his story, The New York Times and Hulu were interested because…
It turns out that pilots must hide any emotional suffering or mental illness they’re suffering. If they seek help, they could lose their job for a minimum of 18 months. It might even be career-ending!
Now, Joe is trying to redeem his actions by speaking up for stressed and depressed pilots via a new non-profit called Clear Skies Ahead.
OR…
Introducing Shaman Economics
Joe’s method of self-medicating was ill-advised. What factors would’ve made it better?
Welcome to Shaman Economics. Most people think of economics as the study of scarcity. A more healthy approach is to focus on incentives, so we do that. Specifically, we explore…
- The pure value of an experienced guide, presented in a way your most conservative friend will understand. You won’t forget this analogy!
- How and why Joe steered away from getting an experienced guide, creating risk to himself and others.
- How to drive down the costs of guidance so that all users want an experienced guide.
- The allegedly crass methods by which the most effective market-driven actors generate positive awareness for social good.
ZAP The State and have a nice day,
Jim Babka
Host, Gracearchy with Jim Babka
Co-creator, Zero Aggression Project
P.S. We lost weeks of production. We’re gaining a new audience. I explain both things in a four-minute episode of “Instant Grace” titled “A Tale of Two Floods,” available on the aforementioned platforms.
Jim Babka is the Zero Aggression Project co-creator. Yet the views expressed in the show are not necessarily those of the board, staff, or supporters of the Zero Aggression Project (Downsize DC Foundation).