Trip to India - Entry 4 - En route

Today is a huge blur. We are now getting seated on our flight from Newark to Delhi. I am told our plane seats 500 people. As always happens when I must confront the reality of the vast sea of humanity outside of my tiny little world in Seattle, my brain hurts a little to think of all of the lives, all of the hopes, all of the stories surrounding me, crammed into tiny economy class airplane seats.

The trajectory of our flight will take us over the north Atlantic and northern Europe, something I try not to contemplate, as even thinking too hard about the concept of flying so long and so high in a metal tube kicks my latent motion sickness into overdrive. So far, I’ve had only a mild headache, for which I am thankful.

Remakes of a popular pop songs are playing on the player (currently Chicago’s “If you leave me now”) while I inhale the scent of sandalwood and other smells so familiar to me from traveling to Myanmar.

In my IT paper, my summary argument was that the crushing pressure of extreme water shortage and the eventual depletion of the world’s inexpensive source of oil will put such extensive pressure on the very poor in India that the government will be too unstable to effect the kind of reforms it would need to enact in order to continue to progress towards development. I find it highly ironic that, in light of this argument, I am now participating in the burning of jet fuel to take me halfway across the planet for just two weeks before doing it again to return. Somehow, I think such activity in general is not sustainable on a regular basis for the entire population of the planet. For now, however, I am going to take advantage of the small window in history in which someone of my limited means has the ability to travel the world, learn about other places and cultures firsthand, and have a few small adventures.

It’s dark now, and the captain has asked for us to put on our seatbelts. Ahead of us is a 12 hour plus plane ride and a whirlwind two week tour of India, its people, businesses, and culture. I can’t wait!