Access…
Greeting dear friends & fellow navigators, & welcome to my world today. I was away this weekend to Wellington. I love airports, the hum of conversations & the quiet anticipation in the air. I love the moment before boarding, the thrill of an impending adventure. Everyone is going somewhere, & so am I. Right now, I am sitting in the airport lounge, writing this.
I do not really know why I chose to come here. I was not hungry. The airport is not overly crowded. I could have just as easily sat by the boarding gate, watching the planes take off, feeling the same excitement as I always do at an airport.
As I sit here, watching planes through the glass, I wonder. Why did I come in? Why did I instinctively choose the lounge when I had no real reason to? It is occupied mostly by people who are glued to their screens ~ some working & others absent-mindedly eating their sandwiches, reading books or chatting. A few, like me, are simply here because we can be.
It would make sense if I was hungry. It would also make sense if the terminal was packed, but it is not. So why? Maybe it is the satisfaction of stepping into a space not everyone has access to. The act of choosing something simply because it is available to me. It is a small thing, really, but is this not how we all are in some ways? As we climb, whether in wealth or privilege, we begin doing things not out of necessity, but because we can.
Access is an interesting thing. Sometimes, it is earned. Other times, it is inherited. But once we have it, we rarely question why we use it. Convenience becomes a habit, & before we know it, without intending to, we set ourselves apart. Not deliberately. But undeniably, & this happens at every level. These are all choices made not out of necessity, but because they set us apart, even in subtle ways.
Despite all our moral policing of the rich, it is human nature to want to elevate ourselves. We think our choices are practical, but how often are they? If we were given access to something exclusive, something others could not easily have, would we turn it down? Or would we take it, even if we did not need it. It is really tough to decline the privilege which comes with access & status because it is just another way to make life a little smoother.
It is an unsettling thought ~ maybe the desire to set ourselves apart is something we have in all of us; & if given the chance, we too might indulge in the luxury. I suspect it is what drives so much of what we do.
Access is not just about the opportunity, rather it is our identity. About who we become when we no longer have to choose between necessity & indulgence. The real question here is not whether we would do the same if given access, but if we would let it define us. Access is a power. But the way we use it, is what will set us apart.
My flight was not delayed as many are these days, but I really need to go to the boarding gate now. I often write in airports, if you are curious about it. It is lovely :’)
Just few observations again dear friends, & provide an opinion in my world. Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your being here. If my journey encourages you also, all is well with my soul. Looking forward to next week; this is Kenn Butler in Paradise, Nelson with best wishes.
1 Varun Chandramouleeswaran
2 & inspired by the dialogues in Haikyuu
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