What's the Point?

I almost died the other day.

It was one of those times when you’re flying and the pilot comes over the intercom and says something like, “We’re going to be landing an hour early… there’s a funny smell in the cabin.”

An hour early? Sweet! We should have funny smells in the cabin more often if this is the result.

It’s not until a few minutes later when the stewardess is sweeping the cabin for trash and grows frantically impatient at a fellow flier (“Ma’am, hand over your trash immediately, this is an emergency!”) that you realize there may be something to worry about.

The plane lands faster than you’ve ever experienced before and upon the entry onto the runway, you notice several emergency vehicles with their lights flashing driving speedily toward your braking plane.

What the heck is happening?

Before you know it you’re best friends with the person next to you as you’ve just survived a potentially lethal situation.

Our emergency landing put us in a random city for a while as they assessed the plane, fixed the problem and loaded us back on, explaining about pops in the fuse box and smoke in the cockpit and compartments that had been shut down. But now, all is well, and we sail in our little capsule through the sky to our final destination.

My new best friend and I bonded over our love of the outdoors, our seemingly random reasons for our trips, our shared birthday, and (of course) our recent escape out of death's grip. 

We parted ways at the baggage claim, wishing each other well for the rest of our lives. While we had exchanged first names about two hours into our new friendship, there was no other identifying factors that might lead us to further communication.

The interaction has made me think a lot about my interactions with strangers… and how quickly I am to avoid interaction when it seems unnecessary or unlikely that we will ever see each other again. After all, what’s the point? 

Sure, I am often overly nice to the lady checking me out at the grocery store, or to the waitress taking my order in a restaurant… but very rarely am I willing to go beyond the social boundaries that exist between customer and employee. Very rarely am I wanting to take the time to address them, first and foremost, as people.

But what if brief interactions can change everything?

What if conversations with strangers on airplanes that you’ll never see again somehow inspire, challenge, or encourage?

What if people (especially as they serve you, wait on you, or just exist next to you) become more than just a means to your end?

What if we pause?

What if we got uncomfortable?

What if we invested and took the time to know about someone’s life and let them know about your life… even if you’ll never see them again?

Sometimes I think I fall under the trap of believing that true transformation and change can only result from long-term relationships over time. And sometimes that’s probably true.

But maybe the little things matter more than we think.

Maybe the strangers that we’ll never see again need us to speak up, to say something, to interact with them. And maybe the conversations aren’t especially enthralling or exciting. But maybe they matter.

I want to be more willing to have the conversations, even if I sometimes think, “What’s the point?”

Because even if I never know the point…?

Maybe there still is one. 

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