Suspended animation

If one does not have to travel by air over the next few days or if one does not work for or own shares in an airline company, one could possibly be forgiven for finding some glimmers of a silver lining in the shutdown of airports all over western Europe right now.  That is, if one leaves aside the general chaos of people trying to get to wherever they want or need to go by alternate means of transportation, or does not think too long or hard about those unfortunate staff members working at ticketing or travel information counters or telephone hotlines who certainly should be earning the equivalent of "combat pay" right now, or if one does not think ahead about the general economic disruption caused by the failure of air cargo traffic to move expeditiously (rotting/ruined produce or raw materials, missed shipping/receipt deadlines, etc.).

While it is reasonable to anticipate that a volcano in a tiny country located far to the north might have adverse effects on lives and economies here in Europe as we are, relatively speaking, close by, it is literally amazing to realize that the adverse effects here are not only affecting people and economies around the globe, but are affecting them almost as directly and chaotically as they are affecting us.  It reminds us all of how interconnected we all are, no matter how physically far apart we are or how differently we may think.  What is more immediately beneficial is that those who live near major airports have realized how blessed and golden this unexpected silence is.  Fortunately, I do not live under one of Cointrin's major flightpaths.

There are many reports that this event has been the most disruptive to air traffic since 9-11.  That tragic and awful event was much more terrible to my mind because it was deliberately caused by men and either negligently (the "best" case) or deliberately (the worst) "allowed" to happen.  What has worsened that tragedy beyond bearability for all since was that it was subsequently used as an excuse to roll back US Constitutional guarantees and civil liberties in a manner unprecedented since the Alien and Sedition Acts in order to conduct a so-called "War on Terror."   It also was used to stampede a traumatized nation into two unnecessary wars, at least one of which is illegal by any acceptable norm.  The thing with this volcanic eruption is that it is a force of nature.  There is nothing deliberate about it.  It simply is.  Politicians with an agenda cannot drum up support for a "War on Volcanoes" or a "War on Earthquakes."  To be sure, given the low intelligence levels exhibited by some of the loudest political figures who are given the most attention in the US media, that is likely not for want of trying.

Like so many others, I remember all too well the aftermath of 9-11.  While neither HWMBO and I lost close friends or family members in the tragic events that occurred that day, we know many who did.   Too many. That senseless tragedy haunts our nation now and always will.  But what we also remember is the airline shutdown, particularly flights to the United States, from Europe.  Big T, #1 Son, was scheduled to marry #1 Daughter-in-Law H in Washington, DC on 22 September 2001.  We, of course, had planned to attend.  The couple were torn as to whether they should postpone the wedding or not.  They finally decided to go ahead with it, given all the planning involved and the difficulty with finding alternatively convenient schedules.  We were among those who encouraged them to do so.  Right up until the day of our departure for Washington on 20 September, we were not sure whether our flight would be cancelled or not.  In fact, it was not cancelled and we were able to attend the wedding without incident.  It was also fortunate that all members of the wedding party from various parts of the US and our family members from Montana and elsewhere who had planned to attend were able to rebook flights into Baltimore or Dulles airports, given that the most convenient Washington airport had been closed.  It is difficult to believe that this event occurred nearly nine years ago.  The little ones who were so proudly part of the wedding party are now teenagers!

There are recent reports that the flight bans may be reviewed.  KLM, Lufthansa, and Air France, among others, have conducted test flights, apparently with no adverse consequences to their jet engines.  British Airways plans to conduct its own test flight tomorrow.  Swiss authorities have decided that Swiss airspace will not reopen before 14:00 Monday.  But if more companies decide to put planes into the air and the ash flows do not worsen, travel disruptions should dissipate.  In the meantime, life goes on.