I recently read an interview with Jason Reitman about his film Up in the Air where he referred to air travel as (I'm paraphrasing) "the last refuge for people who like being alone."
He's right, and has made me realize why I like to fly. I often say that I don't mind it, or I'm jaded about it, but the truth is that I actually enjoy my time in the air.
During my teen years, my friends and I would occasionally run out of things to do at night and go wander around PDX. When you're underage, an airport is one of the few places open late where you can go run amok. Airports are always open. They're always busy. Even in the dead of night, people are around, business is happening, flights are coming and going. And despite the hustle and bustle, it's quiet. Everyone keeps to themselves, focused on their final destination.
In the air, it's even more peaceful. As the plane climbs to its cruising altitude, each passenger enters their own world. It's a whole population of solitary individuals. There's no compulsion for connection among the strangers, and thanks to the FAA, no one-sided chatter of cell phone conversations. I like it. I feel at home.
And there's nowhere else you can quite get that feeling in today's world. It really is our last refuge.
*Actually written on the plane, but not one with WiFi, so published later
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