Why I hate flying

As everyone might have gathered, planes are often uncomfortable: cramped, stiff, lacking entertainment, or maybe outright scary. However, none of these things are my prime reason for hating getting on a plane. Flying puts me in a state of transition; it is a similar to what people experience during the second stage of a rite of passage (the phase of transition, which is characterized by liminality). You belong neither here nor there. It is possible that people don’t notice because the feeling is not as strong as it is while in a rite of passage; it doesn't particularly feel good, but it is easily manageable. 

During the time of transition in a rite of passage people are expected to reflect on what they were and what they are about to become. However, during a flight I am not changing into anything other than locations, which in most cases is just temporary, either for visits or tourism. I understand if you feel that way when you are moving to live somewhere else, but when you are just visiting somewhere it is completely unnecessary.

This blog post is definitely an example of the product from my reflections. In other words, it is an airplane reflection on airplane reflecting (Yes, I wrote this on the plane). I do not claim everyone experiences this, but it wouldn't surprise me if other people that regularly reflect on their lives and decisions (like me) have similar experiences; especially when flying alone, but not limited to those flights. 

It doesn't matter how much entertainment or work I have in the plane. I am repeatedly pulled into sulking, wallowing, wondering, and just plain thinking about the state of my life as I left it before I walked into the airport and how I will change it after I leave it on my destination. The reflecting doesn't have to be on serious aspects of my life either: it can be on dietary choices as well as doubts on career choice. The subject of reflection is not the problem; neither is the reflecting itself (I do that often while playing video games or watching TV late at night, and enjoy it because it helps me define who I am and what I want). What I despise is the fact that I am stuck in the airport/plane with little chance to change anything. Normally I am able to immediately act on my reflections and actively change what I want because I reflect on a daily basis. Even though I can choose not to eat McDonald just as any other time outside of the airport I still feel like I can’t do anything, and that just makes me annoyed.

To clarify and conclude, I hate that while I am on a plane trip I feel useless, liminal, and outside of my own existence. Perhaps this is another reason why I hate other people driving me around? I haven’t really exposed myself to this situation, as I rarely let anyone drive me around. I must contemplate and examine this thing while Becky drives me around. As I don’t really have other people that I let drive me around. Maybe I've just been flying on the wrong area of the plane. I simply need to be up there piloting the damn thing. Can you imagine a driver like me flying a plane? Damn that must be scary as shit for everyone else… Lol

Well let me know if I’m just full of shit :)