Tuesday, August 01, 2006

More on religion

I've been doing a fair bit of traveling lately (with more to come.. at least 6 more plane trips in the next month) and getting on a plane always seems to inspire what little spiritual energy resides in me. Take off and landing move me to prayer. I'd like to think that this is not a result of a fear of flying (at least not really.. perhaps just an acknowledgment that flying in a plane puts my safety almost completely in the hands of others and, sometimes at least, in the hand of chance or god (take your pick)) but more a fear of pain and death (same difference?). At the moment when a plane starts to jettison down the runway I always find myself thinking "God, please bless this flight." This incantation is usually repeated when my stomach jumps a bit at the sound of wheels and pressure being lowered as the plane heads for home.

Who am I to ask God to bless my travels; and who is this God I'm supposedly speaking to? If there is a God and he picks favorites to bless or curse I certainly have done very little worship-wise to buy my way into his good graces so why should he bless me especially when he has forsaken so many others (who are often arguably more virtuous)? On the other hand... I'm a good person, I smile at strangers and try to give a little to charity -- so why not me? But then why should I have to remind God to save my ass with my little chant? Isn't he omniscient? Shouldn't he know (or at least presume) that I would not enjoy dying in a plane crash?

Twice in one day people.

2 comments:

Geoff G. said...

Smiles at strangers, gives to charity and is gonna go to church with my Mema in a few weeks. Definitely deserves to be spared!

themikestand said...

Huh. You really do that? I wouldn't have thought that of you. No judging, though... whether you're "hoping" it's a good flight, or "praying" that someone helps make it so (god, pilot, other pissed-off deities), I guess the end product is that you recognize it's 99.9% out of your hands.

I think I once had a point. But it's gone.