(This post is the second in a series. The first post in the series is "Caveats & Privilege," which you can read here.)
Dear Fellow Business Travelers,
Don’t be a jerk.
No, I’m serious. Don’t be a jerk.
This goes for all travelers, not just the business ones, and
not just the ones who are Christian. I do think that being a Christian means
acknowledging that all people are children of God. All people are sacredly
human. And we are radically equal in terms of our created-ness.
Here are a few examples of how to live into that belief that
God’s creation is sacred.
A flight attendant once told me one of his least favorite
things a traveler can do is hold up her or his trash without looking up at the human being collecting said trash. Just
because someone is there to serve you (and arguably, flight attendants are
there for way more than to serve you) doesn’t mean you get to ignore them. It’s
rude. Also, you know enough not to yell at a flight attendant, ever. Or throw
anything. Or get really, really drunk and act out. Right? Good for you.
Yes, you travel every week, or twice a week. I feel that.
That doesn’t give you (or me) license to give that poor parent dragging two
kids and a bag down the aisle the stink-eye. You know what? That person is
responsible for raising the people who will be running the world when we need
care because we’re old. Be nice. Help that parent out. Be patient when the kid
cries. Kids cry. Get over it. If we were more honest with ourselves, we might
cry a whole lot more. Yes, I have almost whipped around and grabbed the little
foot that was kicking my seat (thanks, Dad, for modeling that move for me in
the car when I was a child). But what works better and is more appropriate than
touching a child you don’t know is to say something to the parent. Kids don’t know!
But the parents should. And if they don’t, their parents are probably to blame.
So help a person out, yeah? Carry a bag, help fold up a stroller, let the
parent/kid board with you if you board earlier than they do, etc.
Tip the housekeepers and the restaurant servers. This is
because these are hard high-risk jobs that typically pay very little. Servers are on their feet, carrying
heavy things, and have to be nice every single day. Housekeepers have to flip
over heavy mattresses several times a day, because travelers like myself enjoy
a really nice bed. Housekeepers have very little time to turn over a room (they
only have one eight-hour shift to get through 10-30 rooms, or more), so pick up
after yourselves. I have often asked to not have my room made up every day, in
an effort to save time for housekeeping. But I just learned that if I and other
guests opt out of housekeeping for the day, it could mean some housekeeping
staff aren’t called in to work and lose out on a day’s wages and tips. Now I
always get housekeeping, and I always leave a tip. Being a housekeeper in a
hotel can be one of the most high-pressure jobs there is. The sloppier you are,
the harder it is for these folks to do a thorough job in the time they have
allotted to do so. These are also very underpaid positions. Do you know what
happens when low-wage workers have enough money? They spend it on rent or food!
It helps the whole economy!
Now, the exceptions to the rule.
Here’s the thing about being a jerk. Most of us (ahem, at
least me) have been jerks at some point to someone because we sometimes have a
bad day. Not like, “that last person I talked to was condescending,” but like,
“my [insert relative here] just died, and I have three reports to write up, and
someone hit my rental car in a parking lot, and I still need to get my kid a
birthday gift and if I miss this plane I’m going to miss my kid’s party.” It
happens (for me, it’s minus the kid, but you get the picture).
Jesus was probably a jerk once or twice, if you count
overturning tables and disrupting someone’s business being a jerk. And the
yelling. But I seem to recall he was a jerk when merchants and money-changers
were taking advantage of people who were trying to be diligent practitioners of
their faith. It’s safe to say that if you stand up for someone, like call a
fellow traveler on inappropriate behavior, that could potentially qualify as
Christian.
Additionally, there is this funny thing called grace. If we
slip up, and do something that isn’t very nice for no good reason whatsoever,
we’re still loved with total abandon. Crazy, right? Nope, just Godly. Thanks,
God. Let’s practice extending that same grace to others.
Here’s a story from a fellow business traveler. You may know
that airlines are constantly changing their policies about who can pre-board
(well, all their policies). At some point, this airline she was flying only
allowed disabled people and people with very young children who had their own
seats to board. She was in the boarding area when a mother with an
infant-in-arms approached to pre-board. The gate agent wouldn’t let her
pre-board, because her infant didn’t have a separate seat. Of course this
parent is totally stressed out. She is traveling alone with a baby. The amount of stuff any kid requires is
mind-boggling, and she would have to disassemble the stroller for it to be
gate-checked at the end of the jet bridge, while carrying the baby and a bag. The gate agent was upholding the existing policy, and also being a
jerk.
All the women in the boarding area are getting angry, and
telling the gate agent that they could wait for this mom and
baby to board. A middle-aged white man, waiting to board with the first class
cabin, said to the woman, “Don’t go anywhere. Give me your boarding pass.” When
the boarding for first class was called, he and the mother and infant approached
the gate agent. The gate agent said, “She can’t board yet.” The man in first
class said, “I believe you have the policy that I, as a Platinum member, can
bring someone traveling with me when I board. She is traveling with me.” And
the gate agent let them pass.
Dear business travelers: sometimes the drama happening in
front of us between people we don’t know is something we can help change from
drama to grace. Just a tiny bit of kindness.
Next Edition: How to Travel Like a Christian, Flying Edition
Resources
Creation and Humanity: The Sources of Christian Theology
Edited by Ian A. McFarland
Genesis and the Goodness of Creation (3 day retreat design –
downloadable)
Covenant Economics: A Biblical Vision of Justice for All
By Richard A. Horsley
Seeking Social Justice (Being Reformed Curriculum)
And a resource for preachers:
Preaching God’s Transforming Justice: A Lectionary Commentary (3
volumes)
Nice. A good reminder that a little niceness goes a long way and usually costs almost nothing.
ReplyDeleteYes! Today I saw a woman who didn't speak English getting very anxious about all the flight changes from ATL to SDF. So I spent the time with her helping her get to the right gate and in the right seat, and let her use my phone to call her daughter. Little things can help a lot.
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