It doesn't matter if someone else decided that he could or could not fly F14s. The Navy doesn't make F14s so he can get a thrill out of flying them. NASA doesn't send men to the moon so they can have an experience few other humans will ever have. (direct quote from my cuz)
It ends up in the mix, certainly, but it isn't THE driving force. And it doesn't mean that you don't miss it when it's gone.
There is a philosophy (discipline) to being a pilot beyond being up in the air, steering an airplane. Or being an astronaut, or a gold medal olympian. All those things WILL end. The philosophy/discipline will not <-- **IF** you developed it, had it, while doing those things.
