During my airline life I used to go walking in many cities, no plan, just see where my feet would bring me.
It is at least 30 years ago, forgot the city where it was, but I got to a freighter harbour. Dirty, smelly, noisy, rusty ships, almost eerie and a bit scary as it had gotten dark. An odd guy passing by, not interested in any human contact. The picture is still vivid as I write this.
Aviation was still in its heydays, good salaries on most carriers, fancy hotels, lots of good training where cost was not an issue (my company FLEW hundreds, if not thousands of dedicated training hours at that time.)
I never forgot the thing that crossed my mind then. Shipping was a top industry once also, why it had slid down to this level? Will aviation descend to this sorrow level also in the future? I laughed at myself, thinking: naah, can't, impossible. Walked back happy.
Sigh...