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Surf The Friendly Skies?
By kirk noonan | May 8, 2008
This summer those who fly select airlines will be able to surf the Net. That’s a good thing for those of us who spend hours in cramped airplane seats waiting anxiously to get to our destinations and stretch our legs.
Or is it?
Providing passengers with Internet capabilities is akin to giving us a big screen television with unlimited channels and a remote. If flight attendants thought we weren’t paying attention to the pre-flight safety instructional while absent-mindedly flipping through Sharper Image catalogs, imagine what will happen when we can surf the Net.
Aye-yi-yi.
From the comfort of a miserable seat in coach at 30,000 feet, we will now be able to e-mail, shop, read the latest news, blog and probably even stream television shows as we jet across the sky to domestic and international destinations.
It seems just a few years ago I saw a throng of people gathering around another passenger who had a portable DVD player on his tray table. Everyone was astonished that such technology existed. “And it cost less than a seven hundred bucks,” the man said proudly. “But it’s totally worth it.”
Nowadays you can get on a plane and never utter a word to a fellow passenger if you’re not in a talking mood. Pop in your ear buds; bury your nose into your computer, magazine or book; pretend you’re asleep; or just do the burning stare technique into the headrest in front of you and most people won’t bother you.
Will Internet capabilities just be another excuse for travelers to ignore one another? Or will they bring people together as they travel and search the Web for the perfect toaster or latest score?
Who knows?
But if I’m the student of human nature I think I am I would lean toward us passengers becoming even more reclusive. Which is fine with me because I am not much of talker when I fly.
But what about those people who use flight time as an opportunity to share their faith? Will the Internet prove to be just one more obstacle to clear before they share the gospel? Or will they be able to parlay the new technology into genuine conversations about faith? I guess it depends on the person and his or her determination. But that’s just a guess. What do you think?
Spill the beans by clicking on comments (just a little below this post).
By the way: Simple Plan won’t post again until May 22.
Topics: Culture, Entertainment |
May 10th, 2008 at 10:34 am
There are times when I’m on a plane, in a taxi, on a train, walking in the park, driving past a stranded motorist or even at a social event when I sense that voice urging me…actually… demanding me to check in with the needy soul beside me and talk about Christ. I think I’m not alone in that experience…I’m enjoying my book, thinking about the things I have to do, mindlessly living in the moment and I ask the Lord “Do I have to?” I try to ignore it sometimes and even question the source of that urge to share. There are times when I do fail to follow those commands. Reasons vary from fear of being wrong, fear of being thought a kook or my own selfish desire to cocoon myself. But there are the times that I heed the call and reach out. When I do, I am indeed sometimes thought of as a kook, but most often, I feel that I have pleased God. I feel comfort in knowing that now, the spiritual mechanism of Jesus’ love has been embedded in that person(s) psyche. I realize that it was not about me at all and I feel okay even if I am thought a kook. There is no one thing that can distract me from that feeling, except my own weak self. I may ignore it, but I can’t make it go away no matter what I am choosing to distract myself with. So, what if…I’m on a plane and a fellow traveler looks over my shoulder and sees my book mark for Kirk’s blog on my computer screen? What if they saw my screen light up with the images from an action-packed game…either may spark interest in that person and facilitate that call from God. I will pray that I am strong enough to heed that call no matter what I’m doing or where I’m doing it.