They say that travel broadens one's perspective. I think this is literally true, because it forces one to see and experience life outside of one's home village.
Traveling always reminds me that my world is a very small piece of the universe. As you fly over (or drive by) village after town, over hill and dale, your appreciation for the diversity and extensiveness of human civilization is magnified.
As we get older, we try fight the forces that tend to diminish our world. It is a losing batttle: our increasing aches and pains attenuate the number of paths we can explore, and we strive to challenge our brains to stave off the fog of forgetfulness and worse -- the loss of desire. At a certain point in life, we start to weigh the expected payback from adventure, we reflect on past experience, and often we conclude that many things we thought were exciting or pleasureable are just not worth the effort anymore.
I am critical of nearly every aspect of air travel. It costs too much. The tack-on fees for checking a bag or sitting in a comfortable seat are outrageious. I dislike lines, I abhor being forced to sit for hours in a seat that is too small, I hate waiting, I loathe airport food, and then there is the subtle but constant danger of imminent death. The boarding process is still an mixture of in colonial apartheid and goat rodeo. Instead of sensibly boarding passenders from rear to front, they seat first class passengers first, then frequent flyers, moms with small kids, invalids, and when there are no more special categories they finally allow able-bodied, poor folks to enter the clogged passageway so they can stand and wait while all the others find their seats and stuff their carry-ons into overhead bins.
The whole flawed process takes ten times longer than necessary. I would feel even more annoyed if I were one of the privileged First Class passengers who has paid 5 times more than any of the rabble for the privilege of sitting in a comfortable chair and have drinks served to me in a real glass tumbler.
I would hate having to sit there and watch the unwashed standing over me bumping my elbow with their reticules and luggage waiting for others to get settled.
Other people who regard me as just another ranting, grumpy malcontent say that the slings and arrows of air travel are "the price we must pay to get from here to there, suck-it-up, you sniviling whiner." To them I say, nonsense! There is no legitimate reason that a person should suffer the indignities of modern aviation.
Wake me up when they invent the beamer (as in "Beam me to Albuqurque, Scottie.")
Having said that, I still have fun when I am in the new place. The adventure of looking for a good place to have breakfast, or the enjoyment of the land and its variations, meeting new people, seeing where history occurred or just gawking at the art -- these are the joys of travel.
A poignant moment occurred yesterday in the Albuquerque airport, as we waited for our (re-scheduled) flight to DFW. A group of about 20 civilians were lining-up in two columns, each holding a flag or banner, like the way a band forms on a football field to cheer on the team as they emerge from the tunnel. When I asked one of the participants what was going on, he told me that it was a welcome home for a local soldier who was returning from war duty. (He didn't know where the GI had been stationed). As we sat and watched, the group grew. More people came to stand and greet, several uniformed military were among them. By the time the solder arrived, the group had swelled to around 40. Finally, a round of applause broke out and the soldier - a tall black man - and his family 3 small kids and mother emerged, surprised but smiling. They walked the "gauntlet" of greeters, shaking hands and sometimes embracing. The kids' expressions were priceless, amazed that all these people (a diverse group of mostly white and brown skins) wanted to shake their dad's hand saying sincerely "Thanks for your service."
We onlookers were compelled to rise and applaud, as well, wiping our misty eyes, feeling proud of our countrymen.
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