My husband and I are flying to Toronto this Friday. I am not a fan of the flight taking off but I am a big favourite of the flight landing. I am always apprehensive of the unknown the take off of a flight makes me exposed to but I do like the landing because it's finally "home safe home". Someone who specialises in flying recently told me that the landing is more dangerous than a take off....but that hasn't made me change my opinion.
Interestingly flying reminds me of birth and death in an odd sort of way.
I think birth is similar to the 'take off' and death is similar to a 'landing'. When the flight takes off you don't know what you are going to go through. There could be turbulences, a storm, lightening, huge winds, volcanic ashes or in the worst case scenario a crash or an uneventful but perfectly safe flight! Isn't it similar to birth? Because when we are born we don't know what life holds for us. We might be sick, wealthy, poor, intelligent, stupid, be a drug addict, a scientist, a monk, happy, miserable, psychotic but whatever it maybe we just don't know. Birth brings with it this unknown and it's a scary proposition (at least to me)
On the other hand landing I find is similar to death. An ending of a journey. Whether the journey was a difficult one or an easy one, you have come to the end of it and finally you are free. Free from being stuck in an uncomfortable seat, perhaps you had an overweight person right next to you, may be you got air sick,or perhaps you slept all the way but whatever it may have been you are not free when you are inside of a plane. But when the plane lands you are free to get out and go to wherever you wish. Death brings with it a release; release from pain, sickness, attachments and it frees you to go wherever you wish to go to - just like a landing!
Despite the many variables that affect the 'ride' we call 'life' birth and death are always present and we will all succumb to it. There is no way out. So it makes me question as to why we celebrate birth and lament when death. It makes me question as to why we are scared of death and not of birth. I leave my questions for you to ponder on....
