Flying With Instruments
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” — John 8:32
One of the first things I learned as a young pilot is that your senses can lie to you.
I remember practicing this during instrument training. My instructor had me put on a foggles hood so I could see only the instrument panel (and not out the plane) while he maneuvered the aircraft unexpectedly. Then he said, “Your controls. Recover the airplane.”
I gripped the yoke, responding “my controls,” while my mind raced to determine my next steps. Every instinct in my body wanted to trust what I felt. But the instruments kept contradicting my intuition. The attitude indicator showed the left bank. The altimeter showed a 800 ft/m descent. The heading indicator showed we were 46 degrees off heading. If I reacted too aggressively, I could make the situation even more unstable.
The discipline of instrument flying is learning to trust reality even when your body insists on another version of the truth.
I found myself thinking about that during a recent flight.
We are living through a period of profound social disorientation. The moral and political horizon lines people once used for orientation have become increasingly unstable. The Supreme Court weakens the Voting Rights Act while claiming neutrality. Congressional maps across southern states are being redrawn in ways that clearly advantage one party and one people while officials insist this is simply procedural politics. The administration describes military escalation with Iran as controlled and necessary while the costs spiral outward economically, politically, and humanly.
At the same time, entire media ecosystems now exist to shape emotional reaction rather than shared understanding. Outrage is our entertainment. Propaganda is repackaged as patriotism. Conspiracy theories circulate faster than verified facts. Most of us no longer know who or what to trust. That confusion creates dangerous conditions for a society.
When people lose confidence in their ability to discern reality, they often stop looking for truth altogether. Instead, they begin searching for emotional certainty. They choose voices that make them feel secure, righteous, or affirmed, even when those voices are detached from reality itself.
Authoritarian movements count on this. A disoriented population becomes easier to manipulate. If people cannot agree on what is real, public life eventually devolves into pure power. Whoever controls the emotional atmosphere controls the narrative. This is why truth telling becomes spiritual work during periods of democratic erosion.
The ancient traditions understood the danger of collective disorientation long before modern psychology gave us language for it. In the Hebrew scriptures, false prophets are condemned not merely because they are inaccurate, but because they tell people what they want to hear instead of what is true. They promise peace when destruction is already unfolding. They soothe anxiety while disconnecting people from reality.
Jeremiah speaks directly to this when he warns against those who say, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
Buddhist teaching approaches the same problem differently. Delusion is considered one of the central causes of suffering. We cling to comforting illusions because reality feels too unstable or painful to face directly. But the refusal to see clearly eventually creates greater suffering for everyone.
Pilots know this too. You cannot safely fly through a storm by pretending the storm is not there. You also cannot survive by panicking. You survive by remaining attentive, disciplined, and grounded in reality even when your senses are screaming otherwise. That feels like a spiritual practice for our time.
Many people right now are emotionally overwhelmed. Fear, outrage, exhaustion, propaganda, algorithmic manipulation, political chaos, ecological anxiety. Our nervous system are flooded. Once we become flooded enough, we become vulnerable to whatever voice offers the strongest feeling of certainty.
But certainty and truth are not the same thing. The work before us may be less about becoming certain and more about becoming trustworthy. People who remain grounded. People who can still discern reality clearly. People who resist both denial and hysteria. People who refuse manipulation even when it flatters their side. That kind of steadiness matters more than we realize.
As a pilot, I learned that surviving disorientation requires humility. You must accept that your instincts can be wrong. You must remain teachable. You must trust something deeper than adrenaline or panic.
I think the same is true spiritually and politically right now.
The work before us may be less about becoming certain and more about becoming trustworthy. People who stay grounded. People who can still discern reality clearly. People who resist manipulation even when it flatters their side. People who refuse both denial and hysteria.
In aviation, spatial disorientation becomes most dangerous when pilots stop trusting the instruments and start trusting panic instead.
Societies can do the same thing.
Perhaps part of our calling now is learning how to keep flying through the storm without losing sight of what is real.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do you notice yourself becoming emotionally disoriented by the constant noise of this moment?
What helps you return to reality when fear, outrage, or exhaustion begin shaping your perception?
Who or what functions as “instruments” in your life, trusted practices, people, wisdom traditions, or communities that help you stay grounded?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Orientation
Holy One, there are moments when the world feels disorienting. Voices compete for our attention. Fear spreads quickly. Anger rises easily. It becomes difficult to know what is true, what is manipulation, and what deserves our trust. Keep us grounded. Help us resist the temptation to cling to comforting illusions or easy certainty. Give us the humility to recognize when our instincts are being shaped by panic, exhaustion, or fear. Teach us to love truth more than tribal loyalty. Teach us to remain steady enough to see clearly, even in the middle of turbulence. And when we lose sight of the horizon, remind us that wisdom, community, history, and compassion can still guide us safely through the storm. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Checking the Instruments
Today, pay attention to what is shaping your perception. Notice what happens in your body when you consume news or social media. Notice when your breathing changes, when your thoughts speed up, or when certainty begins hardening into reaction.
Then pause.
Before responding, ask yourself:
Is this true?
Is this verified?
Is this enlarging my understanding or simply inflaming my emotions?
Am I reacting from clarity or from disorientation?
Choose one grounding practice today that helps you reconnect with reality instead of emotional overload. Go for a walk without your phone. Read long-form journalism instead of headlines. Pray. Sit quietly. Call someone wise. Spend time outside. Return to practices that slow your nervous system enough for discernment to become possible again.
Pilots survive storms by trusting the instruments instead of panic.
We may need to learn how to do the same.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
May 16, 2026 - NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR DEMOCRACY - In a moment when so many communities are feeling the erosion of political voice and representation, this gathering is an invitation to move from concern into collective action. I hope you will consider joining me in Montgomery, AL or attend in other cities as we demonstrate our commitment to justice, dignity, and democratic participation. Learn more and register here: Black Power War Room Day of Action.
May 27, 2026, 12pm ET - FREE WEBINAR - I will be hosting an online experience titled “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination: A live experiential webinar with Jackie Sussman." Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
Perhaps some of you know some women religious who might be interested in this offering: Join Land Justice Futures for our first Summer Read, featuring Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting Our Past and Reimagining Our Future by Patty Krawec! Women Religious Communities (vowed members, lay associates, staff, volunteers, etc.) are invited to come together to deepen on our journey of repair as we consider how our faith is calling us to look anew at the legacy we have inherited and imagine a healing, just future. The series begins on June 29th. Register here.
My colleague, Dr. Tim Eberhart, is offering a summer course that I wish I could take! Regenerative Mission & Ministry: Ecological Practices for Land Repair is a 7-week course for those seeking to integrate eco-theological reflection, earth-based spiritual wisdoms, and regenerative design principles for land repair. Participants will journey as a community of learners through a cultivated curriculum that incorporates selected readings, video instruction, ecological practices, and more aimed at healing social and ecological relations for the sake of mutual flourishing. It starts on June 3, so sign up soon if you’re interested!
The University of Victoria (UVic) offers an online course, A Meta-Relational Approach to AI. The course is designed for participants who are interested in thinking about AI in ways that challenge modernity’s extractive programming patterns in both humans and machines. The next cohort starts in NEXT WEEK. Registrations are open.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Brilliant. Thank you for the truth you always tell.
Amen! Thank you for this homily! We are in this together. 🙏🏻