Some Darker Thoughts

Subtitles

On the doors of the department store, every ‘PUSH’ label on the left-hand side is subtitled ‘Empuje”, and every ‘PULL’ label on the right-hand side is subtitled ‘Puxe’. And people still get it wrong as they enter or leave. One assumes the doors are sturdy enough that the abuse they suffer daily will not damage them irreparably.

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Things we take on faith

That the pilot is sober and perfectly well qualified to fly the plane so as to land us safely at our destination.

That the plane is airworthy, all systems having been thoroughly checked and double-checked.

That our luggage has been safely stowed on the plane on which we are traveling and not on a plane headed to a different destination.

That there is sufficient fuel in the tanks to get us to our destination, with some extra gallons to spare.

That the safety video’s precautionary advice regarding drops in cabin pressure, oxygen masks, landings on water, and emergency evacuation will never have to be followed in an actual event.

That the undercarriage will descend and deploy as usual when the captain pushes the button.

That the plane will not be struck by lightning.

That the security personnel have been trained sufficiently well and will have done their screening thoroughly so that no individuals who mean us harm can possibly be aboard our flight.

That our flight will arrive in time for us to make our connection.

There can be many more such faith-based assumptions pertaining to air travel, but these are all that come to mind right now.

One last thought, this in reference to being stranded on the freeway during the rush hour. Very great faith is needed to shed that sense of unease you feel should you happen to be stuck longer than a few seconds beneath a freeway overpass. Earthquakes, you see?