Maybe we are animals. I think im a tiger. A precious cat but can turn deadly in an instant. My inner cat killer instincts come out when people are defensive toward me. My attack mode has been started. Was freud right? Are we animals?
I’ve seen many animals the past 48 hours. Survival of the fittest at its finest and where am I seeing this- at airports. People are ready to attack the person closest to them, if they are getting in the way of their destination point or if people are not understanding rules being given by staff. I’m actually in awe of how quickly we go from nice to nasty.
I was standing at a baggage claim yesterday waiting for my luggage. I was on a flight from Dublin and our flight to NYC was delayed 2-3 hours which affected 100 of the 300 passenger flight I had just come on. Since the flight was large people kept flowing in at different times to the baggage claim. The attendant of the baggage claim was telling the group over the PA the instructions of what to do concerning connections. However, due to not everyone being there at the same time, she had to repeat her self a number of times. The result- she started talking loudly about how annoyed she was that the passengers weren’t listening. If anyone came up to her, she would say “How did you not hear me? I already told you all 10 times. 10 times I’ve told you!” and then didn’t end up telling the person. I was standing infront of her stand becoming more and more upset by her comments. This is her job, to help people know where to go and what to do and instead of being understanding she became cynical and angry. Or maybe that’s just a typical new Yorker. Or maybe it shows how quickly we get mad at what we see as “trivial” questions. Or maybe it is the fact that everyday she has to face delays, and angry travelers and so her understanding and compassion is limited.
As I got my luggage I had to go to the delta desk to get my itinerary because I had missed my flight and needed to know what was next. Quickly the line became very long and there were only 2 agents working the line. A woman in the line kept saying very loud “I can’t believe there are only 2 workers, why aren’t there more people?” She was getting more and more angry and I was honeslty worried for a moment that people were about to riot or get out of hand. Most of these people have missed their flights due to our flight being late. It was Delta’s fault. So people had their battlefaces on and were ready for attack anytime they encountered a Delta personnel.
Delta’s fault. Or choose your airline name. The idea of blame and fault are two concepts that we hold onto quickly when we feel we have been “injusticed” by some outside source and soon our animal inside of us starts to flame up. We lose our rationality and let emotions take over- irrational emotions- take over. And soon, we are assuming that any person with the label Delta is either going to help us or going to bear the brunt of our anger. We forget that “these Delta” people are just like you and me. We forget that they do not control the weather, and that they do not control malfunctioning equipment. But we’ve quickly given them all the power so when something goes wrong we shove it in their faces and forget their humanity. We start our animal fight with them the moment we see them, whether its physically or mentally, but it is there.
I am just as guilty of this as anyone. Today I was about to go through security and I was asked to put my bag in the carry on holder to make sure it was going to fit. I had been traveling for the past 24 hours and never once had to do this. But at this airport every single person was required. Instantly I was annoyed and became rude. My actions were harsher than normal and quite honestly, I was a bitch. After my bag cleared I went through the security line with my guard up. After I got through I realized how irrational I was being. I was asked to put my bag in a measuring holder- did the woman working really deserve my attitude? No. She was doing her job and my attitude quickly forgot that. My “rights” or what I wanted was impinged upon. As if my terrority had been crossed by some other creature .
Why do we do this ? Why are we so quick to pounce on innocent people? Why do let anger overcome us so quickly but are so slow to love and understanding? Is it because we are animals and that is our instinct? Or have we lost the idea of humanity and lost the understanding that no one is perfect, including businesses and institutions? Every single thing we consume or use is made by people so why do we assume it will always be perfect? I don’t think its because of an animal instinct. It’s actually the exact opposite, we have allowed our human instinct take over- finding an idol to rule over us. We are “idol making” people. Our idols define our actions and why we do what we do. So what is the idol of society today? I think there are a few. Selfishness/independence, relativism, and wanting to look good and be loved by others. The moment any of these areas are affected we have lost what is defining us and fight like hell to get it back.
As travelers, we are for ourselves. We don’t give a shit (sorry to use that language but that’s the attitude that is given off so I feel it is appropriate in this manner) about the people around us. What if the reason for our flight delay was because the pilot had an emergency and couldn’t come? Or, what if there are delays because there are so many stranded passengers because of weather that flights are full and there are back ups? However, we are not quick to look for those reasons. All we see is that our independence, the way we live, is being affected and we get angry and upset and we want it fixed.
As I start to really think about this, I’m ashamed and I am humbled to the floor….because that is where I belong. I have let my desires, my ways be the idol in my life that I have not had eyes to see what is all around me. I have not seen people, I have seen objects that are either for me, or against me. The verse in proverbs makes more and more sense to me now..that our heart is an idol making factory. We put so many different idols in our lives instead of following God. ….and where does that get me? If I’m not following God I’m not living into his command to 1) love no other gods 2) to love my neighbor as myself. My idols are not positive idols, in fact, no idol is positive because they will always fail. They cannot hold me forever like God can.
I am not a tiger, and you are not an animal. We are humans capable of love, capable of hurting others, and capable of change. We just need an adjustment in our hearts…at what we hold in the center.
(i did not get a chance to proofread..sooo sorry if it has some mishaps!)
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