I watched the news story about the flight attendant who had had enough and decided on the spot to simply quit his job on Tuesday with a huge grin in my heart and on my face. It was gutsy, impulsive, and stupid, which is why I found myself responding the way I did. The cut on his forehead has become a badge of honor that screams, "People have been shoving their crap in my face like I didn't matter for too long, and I say to hell with them, you can shove this job."
Commentators have commented on the irrationality of Steve Slater's impulsive behavior. "Caving to impulses in the moment feels good, of course he had a huge grin on his face, even though he was cuffed", I heard one news person say, "but what happens when he is serving jail time and then later can't find employment again? Who would hire him?" I find myself saying, irrationality all depends on what you think is real.
I find myself among the many overnight fans of Steve Slater, for reasons of my own. I know I should be saying, he should have turned the other cheek...err, other side of his forehead, but I think the reason people are responding to him is because his stunt exposes the inhumanity that people suffer daily. In fact, his actions bring attention to our collective and individual spiritual blindness. Blindness to the humanity of others simply because I think my concerns are more important than yours. I matter more than you do right now. You're just a "service industry employee", aren't you supposed to shut up, smile and take care of me!
Whenever I lose sight of what is real I'm spiritually blind. That Steve Slater matters, has a soul, and is worthy of respect and dignity, regardless of his job title, level of education, or social class is real. This matters. While it may be true that if Steve had been doing his meditation and prayer that day, he might have been able to stay centered in his true self created in God's image, the true self that doesn't desire affection, esteem and approval or need pleasure. He might have looked with pity and compassion on the numb skull passenger who thought that by getting out of his seat while the plane was still taxi-ing was actually going to get him to where he wanted to go any faster.
But if I'm honest with myself for a moment, the reason I say it was stupid of him to flee the plane, beer in hand, down the emergency chute, is because I live with the basic human needs for security, control and social approval of others, especially those in power over me. This is the small, false self with its perspective which is limited by its instinctive need for self-preservation. The same self-preservation instinct to which Jesus calls us to die to.
Perhaps impulsively, not well planned, or with much foresight for his own immediate future employment options, flight attendant, and now folk hero, Steve Slater, made a much needed statement. Schedules, deadlines, budgets, business plans, job titles, financial security, the ability to control my life, ...these are just illusions.
A friend prayed this prayer with me yesterday, and so I post it here as an encouragement to embrace God in every moment:
"Welcome, welcome, welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me today because I know it's for my healing. I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions. I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval and pleasure. I let go of my desire for surivial and security. I let go fo my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself. I open to the love and presence of God and His action within."
