My wife and I have been traveling quite a bit lately. That’s my excuse for not posting in the past few weeks. Enough with the applause…and that is the subject of today’s blog.
We have been flying a lot during our travels, and at the end of each flight, most passengers applaud the plane’s successful landing. Not crashing the plane on the runway is a good thing, but a safe landing for all aircraft is expected. Why are we congratulating someone for doing their job? A pilot’s job is to have the plane take off, fly to the destination we paid to go to, and land the aircraft with all passengers alive, even though I wouldn’t be opposed to a few of those passengers being tossed out the door after constantly kicking the back of my seat or letting their kids run roughshod throughout the cabin…did I say that out loud? Cheering the pilot is basically saying that we, the passengers, didn’t expect to make our destination alive. A few passengers, like me, are never sure if the plane they board will not fall out of the sky, but I’m sure I’m part of a small minority (Have you watched the news lately? Planes are raining down all over the place). The pilot is paid very well to do his job, and I am sure he is rewarded with pay raises if he is exceptional at doing that job, but some of the landings we have had in the last few years are not applause-worthy.
We flew into Chicago’s Midway Airport about a year ago and had an exceptionally rough landing. The airport is tucked into a residential neighborhood, and due to local flight regulations, all take-offs and landings are steep to avoid excess noise from the aircraft. As I see it, our pilot arrived over the airport, shuts off the engines, and we dropped straight down…or that’s what it feels like. The passengers broke out in a rousing round of applause while I thought the landing was nothing to cheer about, and boy did my butt hurt after that one.
Even though I fly to where I need to go, I would rather drive, but they haven’t built a bridge to Ireland yet. I am not a fan of flying. I was the guy who yelled, “We’re all going to die,” on a flight to Atlanta when the plane took a sudden drop for a few thousand feet. One of the people traveling with my group, sitting in front of me, stood up, turned to me, and calmly told me to drink more wine. This was not a solution since I don’t drink wine, and there was no Guinness on the flight. I think I wet my pants a little…or not.
It seems that a few of our flights have experienced some rough spots lately, reinforcing my always-present fear of flying…or, as my wife calls it, “irrational” fear.
When was the last time you went to the dentist, spent an hour in the chair, was stuck with needles, and your mouth stretched beyond its limits so your teeth could be drilled while saliva and blood ran down your chin? When the dentist finished, did you applaud him? Just like you don’t applaud the butcher, baker, and candle stick maker…see what I did there? The dentist’s reward is for you to become a repeat patient.
When was the last time you had your office stand up and give you a round of applause for completing a report on time? I worked in publishing and was responsible for getting the finished files to the printer by a certain time. There was no applause, just a sigh of relief by all involved, and my boss wondering why we weren’t working on the next issue.
Some people deserve a good round of applause, not for just doing their jobs but for going above and beyond. First responders who run towards danger will sacrifice themselves to save others, comes to mind.
How about some big cheers for our teachers who dedicate their lives to educating our children while spending their money on supplies to help them learn since our school districts won’t? Society has decided teachers are critical for our children’s education but refuse to pay them what they are worth. Considering teachers spend as much time in college as doctors and lawyers but get paid drastically less and have to put up with the constant harassment of a select few of the parents, we do not give them the recognition they deserve. How about giving our educators a standing ovation at the end of each school year?
Some people crave attention, and applause helps satisfy that craving. Actors and athletes come to mind. As a society, we have come to accept that. If a pilot did a very funny stand-up routine or gave their all to sing a song before a flight, yeah, I might applaud. Instead of applauding, I am usually worried about crawling my way out of a plane packed like sardines, making a connecting flight, getting to the baggage claim, or being late for my rent-a-car reservation. If I see that pilot on my way out of the plane, I might say, “Nice flight,” but that’s about it.
Here’s something I might applaud if it ever happens on a flight again: not being charged for checked luggage, a meal on my long flight, or every little thing, and a seat with enough leg room so my legs are pushed into my chest.
I’m not begging here, but I really do think this insightful post deserves a rousing round of applause. Anybody out there? Well, now I know what the sound of one hand clapping sounds like.
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