On my flight out to Arizona yesterday, I encountered a little slice of heaven on the first leg of my trip.  I posted this picture on Facebook with the following caption:

The well-behaved folks I sat next to on flight to Dallas. We got along fine.

As I sat there enjoying my spacious environment 35,000 feet in the air,  I couldn’t help but think about how we sometimes strive for this kind of existence in our own lives.  We want traffic free highways, no lines in the Walmart check out lane, and no cars in the McDonald’s drive-thru.

Life without people does have its benefits:

You lower your risk of controversy and aggravation. The less people you engage with the less conflicts you will have.  It’s comfortable and convenient. You can stretch out in your own little world and only have to worry about what seat you want to sit in today.   A game of musical chairs would be really easy because you always win.  There is no challenge, no disappointments due to people not living up to your expectations.

No people. No problems

But the benefits of choosing not to sit next to anyone as we fly through life, slowly betray us:

A life without people is a lonely life.  No matter how nice it is to reside in a conflict-free bubble, it also becomes a growth-free existence.  No one is there to encourage us.  No one is there to question us.

No people. No progress.

So, as much as I enjoyed my two hours of people-free bliss, I think I’ll stick with doing life shoulder to shoulder.  We learn things when we choose to share our armrest with others.