#PeopleofNEI: Dave, the survivor

Northeast Indiana is evolving. These are the people shaping its future. #PeopleofNEI

This week’s feature:

David Long, 66, grew up in #FortWayne. He was born at St. Joe Hospital and graduated from Central High School in 1969. David has spent years living in Greece, Brazil, Mexico, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington D.C., before returning to Fort Wayne in 2007 to care for his ailing mother and then retiring here in northeast Indiana. While living in Washington D.C. in 1982, he was in a severe subway accident that resulted in several deaths. The accident was the first resulting in a fatality on the Metro system. “They switched us to another subway track and the switch blew and the front wheelset followed one track and the rear wheelset followed another. The subway car I was in was ripped open and three people died. What I didn’t know is that the infamous Air Florida Flight 90 had just crashed into the Potomac River only 30 minutes before. Everyone was busy trying to rescue people from the plane crash while we were trapped with these dying people for over 45 minutes before any help came. I was the last living person rescued out of the subway car. I will never forget it. It was horrible. I tried to find my purpose from that accident and it is the reason I became a Buddhist. I wanted to be someone who is conscious and loves others. Buddhism is about energy. Your energy is the same energy as the universe. We’re all on different paths and levels towards enlightenment. I know that I’m in charge of my actions. It’s my responsibility. I believe in karma. I believe in helping people and learning from them. The universe is all about growth. When you see a dandelion growing out of a crack in the asphalt, you can’t deny that life is about growth. If we don’t learn to grow we repeat it, and life is all about learning. Today, I work at Wellspring Shoppe. Everything is free to the people we are assisting. We help facilitate giving to others. I knew when I retired that something would come along that would be perfect. I practice meditation and it brings me so much peace. That’s why I’ve always had confidence in my future.” #PeopleofNEI

A post shared by Input Fort Wayne (@inputfortwayne) on Apr 5, 2018 at 7:00pm PDT

#PeopleofNEI: Dave, the survivor

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