Making Good Money in a Bad Industry

The United and Continental Airlines merger is a temporary solution for survival in a terrible industry. Nonetheless, despite conventional wisdom, there is potential big money to be made in such unattractive sectors.
"This is a nasty, rotten business."
- Robert L. Crandall, former CEO & President of American Airlines
After years of off-and-on conversation, United Airlines (UAUA:NASDAQ) is getting into bed with Continental Airlines (CAL:NYSE) in a merger deal valued at $3.7 billion. The merged entity, keeping the United name, will be the largest airline in the world. It will have close to $30 billion in combined revenue, 700 aircraft, and service to 370 destinations in 59 countries, according to BusinessWeek. Early estimates predict savings to reach $1 billion to $1.2 billion annually.

Is a Merger Better Than Bankruptcy?

The deal makes a lot of sense, if only because the alternative was to lose more and more money. In an industry that is incredibly difficult, any means to reduce costs, take advantage of economies of scale, or improve productivity is desperately welcomed. (Mergers, in airlines and other similar struggling industries, often come down to one key reason- survival.)
In case you forgot, let me remind you of how bad off these companies were... and still are (but hopefully to a lesser extent). The better-run airline, Continental, has declared bankruptcy twice, had to borrow money from the U.S. government, and has lost over $1 billion since Sept. 11.
United has had an equally unimpressive past, with its own extended bankruptcy, ongoing (contract) tensions with labor, elimination of its huge pension plan, and many failed strategies (do you remember Ted?) and merger attempts.

Purpose in real life [by Marilyn A.]

I have always thought that life should be meaningful. Not necessarily every moment of every day. I mean, how meaningful is it doing laundry? Nor should life always be serious. We all need extremely large doses of just having a good time! But life has to be more than pleasure-seeking, partly because the enjoyment doesn't last. It's here for a moment, then gone. Author Ravi Zacharias said it well: "If there is no larger meaning to life...then life is without a driving force, without overall substance or explanation."
For several years I studied the philosophies of Dostoyevsky, Sartre, Nietzsche, Socrates and many others -- looking for an overriding, motivating purpose to my life. Every few weeks I would "try out" a new philosophy to see if it could work. But I found these philosophies disappointing when applied to actual life situations. My search continued.
An international news correspondent for TIME Magazine, Dr. David Aikman, shed some light on this subject. He has a couple of post-graduate degrees, is an expert in Russian and Chinese history and communist affairs, has worked in more than 30 countries, is fluent in six languages, and is a serious thinker about life issues. He said, "Each of us has a purpose, a reason for being here, that no one else can tell you, but you can find out from God." Dr. Aikman recommended beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Dr. Aikman gave this account, "When I heard the words of Jesus [in the Bible], it seemed to me he was speaking to my heart, and he was saying, 'I am the way to life. If you follow me and do what I say, your life will change.'" He then talked about taking the first step to starting a relationship with Jesus Christ, by asking him to enter his life. Dr. Aikman concluded, "I can promise you...anybody that takes that first step toward Jesus Christ will have a very exciting life."
Like Dr. Aikman, I came from an atheistic background. And like him, I found that Jesus' statements about himself were quite unique. Jesus didn't point people to his philosophy on life, he pointed people to himself. Jesus said he could forgive our sins, give us inner peace in the midst of tough circumstances, and guide us to a life of freedom.
I determined that if there really was a God, I wanted to know him. But I was still skeptical. I debated and challenged the Christians I knew. I wanted proof that Jesus was God. One day I took an honest look at the evidence for God's existence and Jesus' deity, and I was shocked to find so many logical, historical facts. I then knew I had a decision to make. Was I going to ask him to enter my life and influence it in whatever way he wanted, or was I going to close the chapter on this part of my life and refuse to consider the possibility of "God" ever again?
After reviewing the concrete, intellectual reasons to believe in Jesus, I asked Jesus if he would come into my life. And that very day my search for the meaning of life was completely resolved.
It amazed me that I could have a relationship with God. I talked to him and, through changes in circumstances, he indicated that he heard me. He led me in career paths that are far more expansive and exciting than I ever dreamed. And I asked him questions and he guided me to appropriate, helpful answers in the Bible.
These things didn't occur just on one obscure, stormy day. It was a genuine two-way relationship with God that I was enjoying on a consistent basis, and still do. It wasn't because I became a saint, but because Jesus Christ will enter anyone's life who truly wants to know him and follow him.
There is a deep joy that comes in following God. Unlike anything or anyone else, knowing Jesus Christ has brought real purpose to my life.

In real life...

Real life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance and purpose. We find it in a relationship with Jesus Christ. No one in human history has made the claims Jesus made and given such great proofs to back them up. He claimed to be God, to be able to forgive sins, and to be the only way through which we can know God the Father. Jesus backed up those claims through his resurrection from the dead. He is, truly, the most unique person who ever lived...much more than a great teacher.
The Bible says that Jesus was God who became man -- "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."³ He was "the exact representation of his [God's] being."⁴ In short, Jesus Christ revealed exactly what God is like. So how do we begin a relationship with him?
We don't begin a relationship with God by trying to be a better person. Trying harder to win God's approval is not the way he wants us to live. Have you ever been in a relationship with someone in which you had to try to win that person's approval? It's no fun.
God has such a genuine love for us that he himself provided the way for us to get close to him...but there is a problem. Currently, what stands in the way of us connecting with God is our sin (our self-centeredness shown by our anger, our hurtful words, our impatience, our selfishness, greed, etc.). If you've ever wondered why your prayers seem to go nowhere, that is why. Our sin has separated us from God, who is holy.
So what has God done so we can have a close relationship with him? Jesus Christ ("God in the flesh") took all of our sin on his shoulders while he willingly died on a cross. He did this so we could be completely forgiven, completely acceptable to him.
Our problem is illustrated by the college student who is charged with a crime. The judge sentences her to 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine. The student can afford neither the time nor the money. The judge, knowing this, takes off his robes, walks to the front of the bench, and with his own checkbook pays the fine. Why? Because, as a just judge, he cannot overlook the offense. But, because he is the student's father, he chooses to pay the penalty on her behalf.
This is exactly what Jesus did for each of us on the cross. He made the great sacrifice of being beaten, humiliated, whipped and crucified on our behalf. He now asks us to respond to his sacrifice by inviting him into our lives.

How we can be in real life

He wants us to know him and to experience his love, joy and peace. When we ask him into our lives, we receive his forgiveness, and we begin a relationship with him that's meant to last forever. Jesus said, "I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him (or her)."⁵
If this is now the desire of your heart, the following is a suggested prayer (but the words aren't as important as the attitude of your heart):
Dear God, I confess that I have sinned against you. Thank you for taking all of my sin upon yourself on the cross. I want to receive your forgiveness. I want to enter into a relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life as my Savior and Lord. Please give me the real life that comes only from you.
For more on the meaning of life, please see The Source of a Changed Life or other articles on this site.

Why is life so hard?

* Some people have it harder than others. Consider this story a professor once told me when I lost my brother to suicide years ago:

Picture 3 boats in the middle of the ocean traveling at a slow and steady speed. Each boat has a cable attached to a bubble with a man inside. The man is lowered into the ocean. Each man is at a different depth in the sea. The first man is in shallow water. He sees sunlight and some of the shallow swimming creatures of the ocean. He has life pretty easy.

The second man is somewhere in the middle of the ocean. His bubble hits the large underwater mountains as the boat passes them. He sees neither light nor life in the ocean. He has a hard life.

The 3rd man is at the very bottom of the ocean. He sees all of the mysteries of the sea, all of the creatures people wish they could see, and beautiful ocean floor full of life. He also hits the little bumps and large mountains along the way. His life is tough, but he also gets to experience the most joy of all 3 men.

Which man would you rather be? Some would say they like the guy in shallow water where life is easy and there are no problems. Most people (deep down) would rather be the guy at the bottom of the ocean who gets to experience the most pleasure, but is faced the the most hurt at the same time. We cannot know true joy without experiencing true sadness.



* "This too shall pass" is something you may find true in time.




* Lfe is hard, kids are being abused, raped, and murdered. But once on the road to recovery, you will get through it. I was once one of those kids. But the scars of abuse are still all over me. But I'm a changed teenager and I am a cooler guy now. So, I speak out to everyone who has been abused and is still being abused. Just endure it, be brave and you will come out strong, trust me.
* Life won't be easier unless we as humans change our drive(drive being money). Everyone would get along if there was no money, if we changed what we thought of our money. I've thought of suicide, that's how bad life is, but there is something in all of that says change is needed, hopefully there will be a person in the near future that will make that change(I'm 14, I want to be that person. I know Lot's of famous stars, some are my friends, I don't have big money). Life can give you so many things, but it's the things life doesn't give you that makes you. I want to be something great, but our modern society doesn't work if everyone can meet at least their needs.