
There and Back
I was surprised about the route for the flight to Beijing. I assumed we’d be heading north-west to get to China. That’s the way Sarah’s flights to China have gone. Instead we went pretty much due north, over the northern part of Greenland, over the North Pole, and then south through western Siberia to Beijing. As we approached the North Pole, the ice seemed to go on forever. With global warming, I’m sure there’s less ice than there used to be, but I don’t think you could describe the top of the world as open-water!
We came back the route that I thought we’d use to fly over. We left Beijing about 7:00 PM China time, hit the international date line about 12:00 Midnight (12:00 Noon Eastern Daylight Saving Time) and promptly went back to yesterday. A little before 1:00 AM (China) 1:00 PM (EDST) we hit Alaska and watched a beautiful sunrise. Alas, yesterday only had six hours of daylight. The sun went down as we hit the eastern border of Ohio around 6:00 AM/PM – an hour before we left …yesterday(?)…it boggles the mind!
I said it was an adventure. It was. An adventure in perspective.
Perspective in knowing that the world is a bigger place. Not just intellectual knowing but visceral knowing. There are a lot more people on the planet who are different from us, as Americans, than are the same. There’s a lot more going on in the world than US-centric news.
Perspective in knowing that people are people. The people we met were gracious and caring hosts with the same concerns in life as we have -- family, housing, careers, retirement and future.
Perspective in knowing what an historical infant we are. China’s civilization goes back 5,000 years and encompasses over 20 dynasties -- many which lasted several hundred years. At age 234, the US, in comparison to China, is just getting started. With that perspective, a little thought on issues from the perspective of millennium (versus milliseconds) may bode us well as we seek to perpetuate our young democratic dynasty. With any luck, we'll broaden our time horizon as we deal with the issues of the day. Here’s hoping for a successful first millennium for the infant USA!