Pirates!

I wish it weren’t so. They were bad people, and they still are. Murderers. Rapists. Thieves. Bad, bad people.

Yet, like aviation, I just can’t help myself. I’m secretly fascinated with pirates.

Even recently as the U.S. Navy helps fight pirates from Somalia, I found myself sucked in so deeply I spent hours researching the story. I also watched a Discovery Channel special on The Money Pit, one of the greatest pirate mysteries… the X on the map, if you will.

Why is this so interesting? It’s the mystery, sure. But I think it’s also my obsession with freedom. Pirates, even though they don’t go about it in even a remotely respectable or decent way, are completely free. They do whatever they want and live day-by-day. They have their rankings and jobs, their comrades and their boat – their vessel to wherever – and that’s it. Obligation-free. No one holds them responsible, accountable.

That’s something even the most respectable person can desire.