Enjoy Your Flight

There is a certain level of trust that we expect and uphold when we board a plane. We expect that some one of the group will know what to do if we are caught choking on our peanuts. We expect that the lady in seat twenty-three A will do her very best to silence the screaming child that accompanies her. And we expect everyone on board to maintain a firm grasp on their sanity for the duration of the flight. It's paradoxical thinking. We don't expect these same behaviors of these same people when we're on the ground; in fact, more often than not we expect the exact opposite.

So why is it that just because we board the aircraft to a common destination, we expect everyone to suspend whatever moral code to which they adhere and adopt the code of the friendly skies?

We don't expect other drivers to stop and help us if we have a flat tire. We expect them to blow right by us as we frantically and frustratedly dial AAA. Why do we expect instant courtesy and respect on airplanes?