Grand Vista of Lights
By John W. Vander Velden
I once enjoyed flying
more than these days. Yet all the same,
it is a way to travel great distances in a relatively short period. There was two differences in our travels this
year. One, I sat by the window. And two, the sky was clear. Normally the aircraft takes us above the
clouds and the world is pretty much hidden as we travel. Our non-stop to Florida left after dark on a
Saturday evening. I watched the lights
of South Bend as we rose skyward. At
first I could see the cars on the streets and the light spilling out of the
homes, we passed over. As our altitude
grew, soon the moving white and red could no longer be discerned, but the
street lights, line after line of them, remained visible.
From our cruising
altitude of 34,000 feet the lights remained clear, bluish white pinpricks
dotting the ink below. I do not know how
far the horizon might be from that height, but the lights spread as far as I
could see. Some scattered randomly,
others following distinct patterns. I
found myself amazed at the sheer number – the thousands upon thousands of
lights.
As I looked mesmerized
at the view below I considered the lights.
To me the lights represented people.
For surely there would be no lights needed if no one lived in those
areas. I thought about all the people
that at that moment were below me. I
wondered how many, if any, realized that a plane load of passengers crossed
over head. For as we flew toward our
destination we passed over thousands – perhaps millions of people living their
lives. There may be some that noticed
the flashing beacons crossing the dark sky, but most would be oblivious to our
aircraft on its journey. There were
those at the dinner table, others with their attention glued to the TV, a few
reading, some moving about in their automobiles, and I have no doubt others in
bed. People living their lives. People scattered across countryside, cities,
and towns. So many lights – and more
people. Young people, old people, and
all the ages between.
Yes, that night, the
lights revealed, that we passed over many people, all types of people. And that thought came to me there as I looked
out of the window of a plane at six and a half miles up. For too often we pigeonhole people – like they
were no more than different colored light bulbs. We label people: protestant – catholic, white –black, European
– Asian, and hundreds of other categories used to separate. We considers those like us – and those we see
as different, and value others accordingly.
Is that right or
fair? What yardstick would we wish to be
measured? How are we viewed by
others? For each of us is an individual
and each of us carry a unique-ness. For
people are like snowflakes – no two are alike.
It is this distinctive-ness that combined with the distinctive-ness of
others which forms a society of grand possibilities. Difference is difference – respected but not
be feared.
So as I traveled across a dark sky seeing the grand
vista of lights below and stars above, I once more understood, that in our
unique-ness we are all different -- but in our human-ness we are all the same!
(553 Words)
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