lying an airplane invites analysis; flying a sailplane invites reflection, contemplation, meditation:

Ah, this is how philosophers should fly! This is dreamstuff, this effortless sky-swimming! And daring and delight! It is elemental in the old sense, the alchemist's sense. It partakes of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: Earth to launch and receive us, Air to carry us aloft and abroad, Fire to propel us upward on the Sun-driven thermals, and Water to mark these shafts of energy with clouds. It is as pure a pursuit as I can think of, done only for its beauty, for its harmless delight. It is the dream of Daedalus without the sin of Icarus. The art demands discipline and humility, and rewards us with unimaginable freedom and exaltation: a deep paradox.

© Paul J. Sampson