Drnetsurfer,
You say a lot of nice flowery things. But so much of what we have endured in this industry, especially the US (Deregulation, Lorenzo, controller's strike, Low Cost carriers, BKs, 9/11, economic downturns, etc etc) that pilot's have no control over. If I may speak for a number of posters here. We have a fairly successful employer who does magic with marketing and usually has turned a nice profit. And in the past we have benefitted from that. But with this last set of T&Cs it appears that economic downturn is just an excuse to gain more control, limit our abilities to "have a life" and in some ways appear to be punitive.
Very few guys here said to themselves, you know I want to be an Emirates pilot. The majority are here because of some unforeseen event in their home country and airline or a chance to better their economic situation. We are the modern day French Forgien Legion. Even so, there are many here, for whatever reasons, would or could not take their families back from whence they came. So you will not garner much sympathy from someone from the land of milk and honey.
So if one has no job, this looks like Utopia. But once we are here we see it for what it really is and the absolute control management has over every aspect of you lives. From how and where you live, to sending an email to management when you leave the country on your own. And the guys that have been here ten years or so say it was pretty darn good in those days. We all wonder why there has had to be a change when so many of the changes have nothing to do with the bottom line or efficiencies.
Finally, before separating from active duty maybe you should have thought long and hard about making twenty and then bailing. Is your friend flying in the Guard or Reserves, and if not, why not?
And please check your font, man I can't read your last paragraphs on your posts. What's up with that?