A good friend was traveling recently and called me, exasperated. He suggested that I write a blog post about people who jam all their shit into oversized carry-ons rather than checking luggage. I laughed, but also, got it. I have watched in incredulity as folks rotate and smush bags that are clearly not a fit into spaces that were created to accommodate far less shit.
I’d like to be clear that I totally understand what a rip off checked luggage has become over the years. It’s actually offensive at this point. I’ve expressed many a time that I’d rather the airlines just include the cost into my flight so I’m less aware that I’m being bent over. To buy a costly ticket only to find out that your freaking luggage isn’t included in that cost (or anything else, these days) feels like insult on top of injury.
That said, there are clear parameters behind what constitutes a carry-on and checked luggage and those lines seem to blur on a fairly regular basis. Are you wondering where I’m going with this whole line of thinking? I get it. Let me get to my sort of point.
Resource consideration aside, it seems to me that this behavior screams of someone who is mostly inconsiderate. They don’t care that this exercise (of jamming overstuffed luggage into a mini overhead bin) is likely futile, thereby requiring the assistance of airplane staff and even a subsequent checking (for free- I get it). They don’t care that if they manage to jam their suitcase in the overhead bin, it is likely taking up more space than they are technically allotted. They don’t care that the pushing and shoving and shifting of shit that is required to jam that luggage in (if it goes) will likely hold up the rest of the plane from embarking or even taking off on time. All of that is inconsequential. They are self-directed. They want what they want, and that is that.
I see this everywhere these days. Sure, this paradigm has always existed, but now it’s exploded. Which one, do you ask? Well, the one that tells the world that the rules don’t apply to you. Yes, the airlines clearly share the acceptable metrics for overhead luggage. Still, most people decide to go rogue. They don’t give a fuck. Some don’t even bother educating themselves on the rules because it’s a meaningless exercise and others do, but then sidestep them, leading one to wonder why they dug in to begin with.
I don’t want to get political here, but you guys KNOW what I’m talking about, right? I value others’ opinions and rights and perspectives. Even when I don’t agree with someone, I can respect the fact that they have their own situation. Well, sort of. Lately, I find myself frustrated. I find myself wondering why the FUCK people can’t seem to bring themselves to care about others. I find myself absolutely baffled at the selfishness and disconnection from society at large. You can certainly have your own thoughts and way of doing things, but what happens when that extends to harm caused to others?
Perhaps you decide to move forward regardless because it’s a belief that you hold near and dear. Okay, I feel that. However, did you even ask yourself as to the impact your behavior or actions might have on others around you? I suppose that even if I don’t agree with someone’s conclusion, I’m infinitely more comfortable with the human that conducts the analysis. I want to know that you cared enough to ponder it. Even if you get to a ‘me before you’ moment at the end, at least you’ve weighed all the facts and arrived there, in that place.
I know I’ve spoken about this topic before, but it’s so in my face lately that I can’t help but get stuck there. I’ve had some professional shit happening. Nothing I plan on getting into. However, I have people around me that are still dumping or will sell the positives to me as if I haven’t contemplated them. I applaud the effort, but would also love some compassion or better than that, some awareness. I also recognize that my life is shifting towards the difficult, whether it be temporary or more long term, and there is no interest (from anyone) as to what that looks like and what might be useful as a mitigant or support.
Normally, I would step outside of this hole that I am in and rise above it. I don’t want to be that person who focuses on my shit. So what if I have friends or co-workers who are only able to think as far as the tip of their own noses? No worries. I’ll be the bigger person. I’ll care in spite of their disinterest.
Guess what friends? Not right now. Nope. I’ve decided to be the smaller person. I’ve decided to put myself first. I’ve decided that a little self-nourishment is exactly what I need in this very moment. I can’t be bothered attending to negative energy scattered around me, because I am intently focused on growing my own self. I want to get myself to a higher state of being and the only way to do that is to lay out a path forward. The only way to create a plan is to focus on myself and my life.
I struggle with this concept mightily. This is so antithetical to who I am as a human. It is so fucking hard. You know what though? I have no malice in my heart. Zero. Also, I know I’m not a bad person. Also, EVERYONE ELSE DOES IT. Not one of the people I typically cater to would give a steaming hot fuck if they put me off. Truly. It would not even be a shiver in the universe.
I’m not looking to be a shitty person. I’m not looking to hurt people. In fact, my sole objective is to sort shit out and vibrate higher so that I can be a better relative/friend/co-worker. I cannot get to my highest and best use if I’m just slogging through the motions.
I’m not about to try and fit an overstuffed suitcase in an overhead compartment, but I’m also just carrying my own shit this go around.
You feel me?
L.
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