April 20, 2011
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Have you ever flown on a plane?
It’s pretty crazy isn’t it? You’re buckled into a seat 30,000 miles above the Earth going at a rate fast enough to get you across the United States in less than half a day. Half a day. If you were playing Oregon Trail, a best-case scenario would be that half of the people in your covered wagon would get dysentery and die. Now? Watch a movie, go to the restroom, and… Hello, Washington (state)!
The last time I flew, I had an experience.
I was eating a banana and the sun was about to rise. Being an early morning flight, most of the passengers were asleep or resting, which provided a certain stillness in the aircraft.
After a couple of bites of my banana, the plane turned and the sun pierced the darkness, illuminating my potassium filled fruit. At that moment, it seemed I could see every detail the banana contained. I’ve looked at bananas before, but not like this. This was different. A different perspective.
One thousand seeds seemingly laced the edible interior. The floppy yellow peal turned back like pages of a book, revealing the product of the fruit’s lifetime story. The great reality of it forced me to chew a little slower. Gnaw a little longer. It was as if I was eating a banana for the first time.
Then something beyond the banana caught my attention. It was a bed of clouds beneath the plane. Miles and miles of perfectly lit, white fluffy clouds. I wanted to abandon my seat and bounce on them. Like an ultra-giant down comforter, the massive cumulus beckoned. If only my brief trampoline daydream were possible.
The clouds went as quickly as they came. Poof. Replacing them were rolling hills and fields of crops. The sun’s rays licked the treetops below with a golden glow. Houses and businesses speckled across the Earth were also brought into view. Each address with a storied history, likely filled with joy and sorrow—how much of each, I could only guess. I was viewing the current state of things, frozen in time.
I looked back at my banana…
The world is big. Humanity is wrestling with issues of economic crisis, energy consumption, world hunger, education and the like.
Our world is small. We have daily needs and desires. We long to be appreciated—to be held in the right light and seen as something valuable.
The world is a really big, small place.
It’s easy to forget the world is big and small at the same time. Maintaining proper perspective allows us to see the world as God sees it. May we be people of balance. Not too quick to ignore minute complexities nor too shortsighted to see life’s grandeur.
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About Jared
Jared Beasley is the founder of Istoria, a visual agency that creates story-focused experiences for brands that make the world a better place. Read more.
From the Gram
April 20, 2011
/
A Banana On An Airplane
Have you ever flown on a plane?
It’s pretty crazy isn’t it? You’re buckled into a seat 30,000 miles above the Earth going at a rate fast enough to get you across the United States in less than half a day. Half a day. If you were playing Oregon Trail, a best-case scenario would be that half of the people in your covered wagon would get dysentery and die. Now? Watch a movie, go to the restroom, and… Hello, Washington (state)!
The last time I flew, I had an experience.
I was eating a banana and the sun was about to rise. Being an early morning flight, most of the passengers were asleep or resting, which provided a certain stillness in the aircraft.
After a couple of bites of my banana, the plane turned and the sun pierced the darkness, illuminating my potassium filled fruit. At that moment, it seemed I could see every detail the banana contained. I’ve looked at bananas before, but not like this. This was different. A different perspective.
One thousand seeds seemingly laced the edible interior. The floppy yellow peal turned back like pages of a book, revealing the product of the fruit’s lifetime story. The great reality of it forced me to chew a little slower. Gnaw a little longer. It was as if I was eating a banana for the first time.
Then something beyond the banana caught my attention. It was a bed of clouds beneath the plane. Miles and miles of perfectly lit, white fluffy clouds. I wanted to abandon my seat and bounce on them. Like an ultra-giant down comforter, the massive cumulus beckoned. If only my brief trampoline daydream were possible.
The clouds went as quickly as they came. Poof. Replacing them were rolling hills and fields of crops. The sun’s rays licked the treetops below with a golden glow. Houses and businesses speckled across the Earth were also brought into view. Each address with a storied history, likely filled with joy and sorrow—how much of each, I could only guess. I was viewing the current state of things, frozen in time.
I looked back at my banana…
The world is big. Humanity is wrestling with issues of economic crisis, energy consumption, world hunger, education and the like.
Our world is small. We have daily needs and desires. We long to be appreciated—to be held in the right light and seen as something valuable.
The world is a really big, small place.
It’s easy to forget the world is big and small at the same time. Maintaining proper perspective allows us to see the world as God sees it. May we be people of balance. Not too quick to ignore minute complexities nor too shortsighted to see life’s grandeur.