Take Flight
Charter Day Cathedral Address
The Rev. David C. Roth
H
ave you ever taken a trip on an airplane to a place you’ve never been
to before? It can be a bit nerve wracking, especially for an international
destination. Most likely it’s a bit exciting as well. You get on the plane, find
your seat, put things away and then the flight attendants come on
with the spiel about putting your luggage in the overhead bins or
under the seat in front of you, show you how to use your seatbelt
and where the exits are, tell you that the seat cushion will work
as a floatation device if you need it, and where the lavatories are.
Notice what happens when they are giving you all this information.
Everyone ignores them. They tune it out. No one looks up from their
smart phones. No one puts down their magazines. They just keep
doing what they were doing.
To my mind taking a trip on an airplane is a bit like being in high school
or college. It’s exciting and fun – like an adventure. And it can feel like you are
trapped – just stuck in a plane. “Why did I get the middle seat?” “All there is
to eat are these peanuts and there are five more hours to go.” You can’t get up
to go the bathroom whenever you want to. And there are the social pressures.
“Do I talk to the person next to me or do I pretend I’m asleep?”
I have been on enough flights to know that sometimes it goes smoothly
and quickly, and sometimes it can feel like a nightmare that will never end.
One time I was on a flight to South Africa – a 17-hour flight, with a two-yearold on my lap. And soon after we took off his diaper leaked all over me. So I
flew drenched.
Think about the definition of the word education. It means, “to lead
forth.” The Heavenly Doctrines given through Emanuel Swedenborg say, “All
education is an opening of the way.” The questions then are: “Where are you
going?” “What way are you headed?” Well, you might say, “I’m buckled in – I
can’t go anywhere!”
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