This afternoon I was on a flight to Mumbai. Mid-air the aircraft started experiencing some air turbulence. As standard procedures, everyone was asked to return to their seats etc. and a lot of people started looking out of the window. The turbulence was both long and strong - a few people woke up, many spilt some coffee and everyone waited for the aircraft to pass.
I couldn't help but wonder, like every single time something like this happens, what would it feel like if the plane crashed. I wondered where the life jacket was that the long security drill at takeoff talks about. I wondered if people will scamper for life jackets and emergency exits (again, the long at takeoff speech came to my mind) I wondered, almost wished, that there be no time for that, and the aircraft just goes into a freefall and crashes.
I thought about what will follow. The imagined news headlines amused me. Maybe in 2-3 days when I don't show up they'd discover in office I was on that plane. Will they worry about the laptop and other BCG paraphernalia now lost? Isn't my company insurance double if one dies in an accident? What if I don't die and show up one week later? etc etc etc
It's a familiar train of thoughts. Similar to what may happen if I got the opportunity to be in a hijack, a bomb blast, a derailed train etc.
These things - fun, interesting - they just don't seem to pick me and happen to all those innocent people who don't want them to happen.
Life ain't fair.
I couldn't help but wonder, like every single time something like this happens, what would it feel like if the plane crashed. I wondered where the life jacket was that the long security drill at takeoff talks about. I wondered if people will scamper for life jackets and emergency exits (again, the long at takeoff speech came to my mind) I wondered, almost wished, that there be no time for that, and the aircraft just goes into a freefall and crashes.
I thought about what will follow. The imagined news headlines amused me. Maybe in 2-3 days when I don't show up they'd discover in office I was on that plane. Will they worry about the laptop and other BCG paraphernalia now lost? Isn't my company insurance double if one dies in an accident? What if I don't die and show up one week later? etc etc etc
It's a familiar train of thoughts. Similar to what may happen if I got the opportunity to be in a hijack, a bomb blast, a derailed train etc.
These things - fun, interesting - they just don't seem to pick me and happen to all those innocent people who don't want them to happen.
Life ain't fair.
8 comments:
I used to daydream like this. It ended with me hanging outside the door of a ladies compartment on a superfast train at midnight with branches and electric poles swishing past my ears! Sadly it was never on the news :P
I had some worst moments during one of my recent Mumbai trip. And yes, all those thoughts come into the mind frequently and at a pace. And sometimes I feel dyslexic with all those thoughts and words of the well rehearsed pitch(read safety instructions) moving around my head.
hey taru,
I guess I've a bit different opinion.When all those thoughts were barraging, I would have thought-"at least I'm fighting the air turbulence but what if any mishap happens to the office."
I guess the life is pretty fair but the perceptions are different.
a nice post:)
I guess excess of anything, even flying above the clouds, is a bad thing. What WOULD happen if anything were to happen? well, flying through the air into the cool blue, not a care in the world, and just your safety seat to hang on to, that would definitely be a thrill worth wishing for for anyone!
and don't know about your office walas, a whole lotta other folks will miss you instantly :)
I always have that feeling...can't wait for an exciting adventure of the sort. Sigh...never seems to happen!
I guess most of us, sometym or another wished the same. Even me too. But this is probably when we gt stuck in situations beyond our control, all this is just an easy escape.
I am actually surprised that so many of us think this way...yup me also!
I know. One of my recent flights also experienced turbulence while flying near Mumbai. Could have been an earthquake maybe.
And yes, life ain't fair. It was not Birbal's fault that apples never grew in Delhi, or wherver he was.
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