Authors, pastors, and speakers alike all seem to have great stories from their airplane trips. I am currently en route to Phoenix, Arizona on a high school missions trip as a leader. I decided it was time I pretended to be cool and write an airplane blog. I figured I would give it a shot hoping that while I sit here something inspiring might hit me.
…Nothing.
The only thing I’ve noticed on this trip besides the guy watching Dark Knight across the aisle (too bad he stopped right before the best part), and the old man who just spilled drink all over himself, is the amazing amount of iPod headphones I’ve seen.
From this simple observation I’ve deduced two things:
I should buy stock in Apple and start to cash in on this phenomenon.
And I concluded that this is why community seems to be so difficult sometimes. Ever since we entered the terminal (after the insane security check point with 25 students), the headphones have been in and all the air drumming, foot tapping, and head bobbing that goes with it hasn't stopped.
The great thing is that a lot of the students still conversed and bonded through the headphones, but it makes one wonder how much attention we pay to the outside world. Sure they hear each others’ words, but are they really listening?
As many may know, I love my iPod and walk around campus with it quite often. It’s great because I get to listen to music, but it serves a dual purpose. With an iPod in, I don’t have to be friendly. I don’t have to talk to people. And I don’t look like a loser when eating by myself in the cafeteria.
My iPod has become my security blanket.
Sure, I still talk to people while I’m listening (like waitresses, clerks, and other iPod-ians), but I’m really only listening to the iPod. It becomes a bit difficult to listen to really important things…like God, when I close myself into this nice little “me cocoon” and shut out the world.
So how does the iPod change a person? They become this empty shell, void of communication, walking through their day. It’s amazing how much difference those little white ear-buds can make.
Well, that’s enough of this high-altitude post…Dark Knight has started back up….
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I know I am guilty of this... My absolute favorite thing to do lately is sit at Starbucks with headphones and a laptop just messing around online or reading (which is actually what I'm doing right now...)
ReplyDeleteTodd calls Starbucks the trendy place where people go to be "alone together"...
I do my best to not make myself available whenever I'm at Starbucks, acknowledging people as they walk by and etc... and I have had a handful of good conversations with strangers, but I know that there's still room for me to be the awkward guy that tries to spark conversation with the other regulars...
This phenomenon and culture that is being developed makes the spiritual discipline of solitude/silence increasingly important and meaningful...
As we deal with people who are always plugged in, or as we ourselves are always plugged in, those times of solitude/silence and retreat become so much more necessary... However, they also become increasingly effective/influential/whatever as we are no longer used to periods of silence...