i fell in love with the idea of the air plane as not merely a mode of transport, but a place of destination. an escape. a space that in no other can you be equal to birds in flight. how wonderful is that?
i found it to be such an interesting concept, it never occurred to me before seeing this movie, to treat the air plane as such a place. a place of solace. the film literally depicted being in-transit as an actual destination for george clooney's character, metaphorical for his desire to escape.
& i absolutely loved the idea of it.
it also made me realize just how partial i am to airplanes, air ports, and all that jazz. the whole notion of travel is very romantic, but there's something about airports and airplanes that can be very emotional.
take the arrivals and departures. arrivals are typically a place where individuals are eager and excited to be there, whether they are being reunited with family, friends, or both, or are just on the cusp of a new beginning, adventure, life. departures can be a place of tearful goodbyes, where people are leaving in search of something else, and can serve as a reminder to us as to how important certain people are to our lives, the significance of their presence, and to imagine just how different life would be without them.
then there's the actual plane ride. you're put at random to share such personal space with strangers, it can be incredibly excruciating. especially for a person as shy and introverted as myself and not being able to afford first class. in a way it forces sociability, and as a result of such circumstances i have met some of the most interesting people. once, on a transfer flight from krakow to munich, i met a saudi arabian student going home for the summer. he was sent by his government to study english in poland, and he explained to me his own comparisons of arabic and polish, and how they were both such incredibly difficult languages when compared to english. it created this realization in me as to how amazing it is that a country is subsidizing their young students to go to foreign countries in an effort to cultivate a more enhanced education that travel can offer, and how much of a pity it is that so many american students don't learn another language while so many others are so good at english. planes can force you to either extreme: sociability or isolation. either way, i see it as a form of personal exploration. a destination to self discovery.
i mean, when else are you going to have to sit for hours and hours on end, doing nothing?
just a thought.
image from here.
