Hoping to get someone decent in my next seat, I climbed the movable stairs attached to the door of the aircraft. The mostly taken for granted greetings by the beautiful air hostess was not enough to distract my mind from speculation of the person who will be accompanying my journey. Nevertheless, I took my F14 seat next to window having a company of a young boy and breathed relaxed.
The mind started its usual wondering about things and people which were in the site. I paid attention as it was asked for the aircraft safety instruction. The boy was busy figuring out how to on the TV screen in front of his seat. Instead of paying attention to the instruction I was interested in matching the air hostess's hand movement with the recorded audio. Well, she won.
The air conditioned adjustment, the chewing gum in mouth and I started waiting for that thrilling super speed of the plane. After much wait, the exciting moment came, the plane started running faster on the run way and all the attention went to that particular second where aircraft takes off.
uubbhhh... bit lump in the throat, butterfly in the stomach and UP in the Air..... Woooooow... all the concentration outside the window now!
I became the wind, yet with eyes and ears. I saw things getting smaller and smaller, the chaos of the city was disappearing. My eyes became wide. I felt some sort of lightness. The unknown burden was off my shoulders. disconnection from world, even forcefully, was bliss then. The plane started merging with clouds and up in the blue sky.
I experienced every emotions. I realized while flying up in the air, I was actually flying above all those human emotions that mind creates. I saw couples getting back together, saw people having breakup, someone was dying, someone was taking birth, someone was victim of religion, someone was discriminated due to cast. I heard every cry of anguish and every peal of laughter.
The world was peopled with mind, whirling faster than any wind, in search of distraction and escape from the predicament of change, the dilemma of life and death - seeking purpose, security, enjoyment, trying to make sense of mystery. Everyone everywhere lived a confused bitter search. Reality hardly matched their dreams; true happiness was just around the corner - a corner they never turned.
And the source of it was the human mind.
And the cabin crew asked me softly whether I wanted to buy any snacks or drink. I did not know what to tell her. I signaled of me being fine with smile. I felt I was full.
Smile stayed on my face until another announcement woke me just before the landing. Felt the warmth of the most beautiful sunrise. The sun rays tearing the the dark gloomy clouds were touching my cold skin. The gloomy clouds are akin to our mind troubles, and the sunrise is eternal hope; the burst of optimism we need to look forward to if only we could look beyond the "clouds of our mind" that are literally obscuring our site.
The seat belt was unhooked now and I was ready to enter the world of minds again...! With a hope to fly again soon! :)
Love...
