Introduction
I was sitting next to a man on my flight from the island to the mainland. He was very kind and even held my hand as we took off, but then he started talking about his job in IT and how he had only been working there for a year. He told me that while it was a good job, it wasn’t as fulfilling as he’d hoped it would be; then he said “I need to tell you something.” “This is really embarrassing,” he told me. “But I’ve never flown on an airplane before.” “I’m terrified of flying,” he admitted…
On the flight to the island, I was waiting for the plane to take off, and I was sitting next to a man who talked nonstop.
As we took off, the man next to me was talking nonstop. He was very kind and held my hand as we flew over land and sea. He told me that he had only been working at his job for a year, but he loved it because it gave him so much joy to help people with their problems.
After several hours of flying, I could not see any land anywhere near us–not even distant clouds or trees. We were flying high above everything in this vast blue sky! The man didn’t seem bothered by our long journey; instead he sang songs from his native country while looking out into space through windowed walls that separated us from each other on board the plane (and from all those below).
He was very kind, though, and he held my hand as the plane took off.
He was a nice guy, and he held my hand as the plane took off. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he seemed like he would be alright. He talked a lot–mostly about himself–but it was kind of funny because he didn’t seem nervous at all! As soon as we were in the air, though, I started getting scared again.
But then he started talking about his job in IT and how he had only been working there for a year.
I was so distracted by his voice, I completely missed what he was saying.
“So tell me about your job,” I said. “What do you do?”
He hesitated for a moment before answering: “I work in IT.”
I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded like something technical and important that would give him access to the most advanced technology available on planet Earth.
“Oh!” I exclaimed excitedly. “That sounds awesome! Tell me more!”
He told me that while it was a good job, it wasn’t as fulfilling as he’d hoped it would be.
I was sitting next to him and was worried about the flight. He told me that while it was a good job, it wasn’t as fulfilling as he’d hoped it would be.
I asked him why he thought that? He said his boss had changed the way they worked and they were being pushed harder than ever before and he didn’t have time for hobbies or spending time with friends anymore because of all of his new responsibilities.
Then he said, “I need to tell you something.”
The man was nervous about flying. He was afraid of heights, crashing, dying and being scared. But he knew that if he told me this and asked for help, then I might not be able to help him because I would be afraid as well–and after all, we are not supposed to have any attachments or fears in our lives!
“This is really embarrassing,” he told me. “But I’ve never flown on an airplane before.”
“This is really embarrassing,” he told me. “But I’ve never flown on an airplane before.”
I could tell from his voice that this was a big deal for him, but I also knew it was important for him to get it out in the open. It was time for confession: “Well, you’re going to have to tell me all about it.”
He sighed and said: “Well…it’s not so much what I think about while waiting at baggage claim–it’s more like how I feel after takeoff when we’re already flying above everything else.”
“I’m terrified of flying,” he admitted.
“I’m terrified of flying,” he admitted.
“That’s understandable,” I said. “You’re not the only one.”
He had never been on a plane before, and he didn’t know what would happen if there was an emergency. He didn’t know how to handle it if there was an emergency, either–he was petrified at the thought of having to get off the plane in an unfamiliar place and trying to find help from other passengers (who might not be as helpful). Such things can easily spiral out of control if you’re not prepared for them; this is why we have trained crews who are able to take care of situations like these without causing any harm or injury during your flight!
“It’s like having to jump out of a building without knowing how high up it is,” the man continued. “And even if there isn’t anything wrong with the plane, how am I supposed to know what’s going on?”
The man was right. It is scary to fly, and it’s even scarier to jump out of a building without knowing how high up it is. But what if there isn’t anything wrong with the plane? What if we go down in flames?
The man was right again when he said that we can never be sure what will happen next–that flying is similar to jumping out of a building without knowing how high up it is. Even if everything goes according to plan (which rarely happens), there are always unforeseen circumstances that could take things disastrously wrong: an engine failure or turbulence; an equipment malfunction; a sudden change in weather conditions such as icing or fog; etcetera ad infinitum…
The story had nothing to do with why I fell asleep though; I just didn’t want to hear any more about his job from someone who doesn’t have one
The story had nothing to do with why I fell asleep though; I just didn’t want to hear any more about his job from someone who doesn’t have one.
He was talking about his job because he was nervous about flying, but the only reason I fell asleep is because he kept talking about it without giving me anything else interesting to listen to.
Conclusion
It’s not that I want to laugh at him, but I just keep thinking it’s funny how this guy has never even flown on an airplane before. It’s like he thinks there are no rules and that you can do anything you want without consequences. He doesn’t seem to understand what being nervous about something means – like how when we’re nervous about something, we have a hard time focusing on it because our brains are focused elsewhere. It might sound strange coming from someone who works in IT but I know everyone has their own fears when it comes to flying.”