14/08/2025
When the Sky Fell.
It was a line in the news most people scrolled past — a plane crash in southern India.
To me, it was more than a headline. It was a mirror held up to life’s uncertainty, a reminder of how quickly the ground can give way beneath us.
Behind the numbers were faces. Behind the tragedy were lessons I can’t shake.
A dream interrupted
One family had spent over a decade trying to start a new life in the UK. They saved, planned, postponed, and promised themselves that “next year” would be the year. Finally, it came. They packed their bags, brimming with hope. But the journey ended before it began.
It made me think about how easily we defer life. We imagine an endless supply of tomorrows, forgetting they’re never guaranteed. “Someday” is a fragile plan.
A missed flight that saved a life
Another passenger was supposed to be on that plane. She missed check-in by minutes and was furious. She thought the day had betrayed her. Later, she understood. What looked like misfortune was actually protection.
I’ve been there. Raging at delays, detours, disappointments, not realizing that sometimes the “no” we hate is the “yes” that saves us.
Surviving when others don’t
One man walked away from the wreckage barefoot and bleeding, alive only because his section of the cabin didn’t ignite. Call it fate, purpose, or timing. He wasn’t meant to go that day.
I remembered the words from Ecclesiastes: “To everything, there is a season.” We’re not here by coincidence. There’s work to be done.
The last goodbye
Many didn’t make it home. Parents, friends, colleagues. People with plans and promises. They said casual goodbyes, not knowing they were final.
We think we’ll have another chance to say “I love you,” to make amends, to show up. But time isn’t on a contract. The only moment you truly hold is the one in your hands right now.
The anger beneath the grief
As the stories unfolded, questions began. Was the aircraft safe? Were maintenance checks delayed? Did decisions about cost take precedence over lives?
This was not just a random twist of fate. In aviation, as in so many sectors, cutting corners to protect profits can cost people everything.
Where this leaves me
Grief is heavy. But clarity is heavier when you know some losses did not have to happen. I can’t bring anyone back, but I can live differently. Urgently, honestly, and with a sharper sense of responsibility.
We owe the victims more than flowers and condolences. We owe them accountability. We owe them a commitment to safety over savings, people over profit.
If you are reading this and you still have your breath, your strength, and your choice, use them.
Say the words you have been holding back.
Do the thing you keep postponing.
Be who you were meant to be.
Because sometimes, there is no “later.”
