Donner Party - Table for Two?

Jet passengers stuck on Conn. tarmac for hours

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/06/23/20100623stranded-on-plane.html#ixzz0roUbMkHl

Excerpt:

Passengers told CNN that Tuesday night's ordeal began when they were diverted to Bradley because of bad weather during a flight from London to Newark, N.J. They said they landed at about 8:20 p.m. and were kept on the plane until about 1 a.m. Wednesday.Passengers told the news network that people were yelling and screaming. At least three people fainted and were taken away in ambulances, passengers said. The aircraft was carrying 300 passengers and 14 crew.

"It was like four hours on the ground without any air conditioning. It was crazy. Just crazy," passenger Beth Willan told CNN. "There were babies on the plane. And we are in dark and hot. You try to be patient but people were yelling and screaming."

Wow! Like – four hours on the ground without air conditioning?! What an ordeal!!

Ordeal, noun - any extremely severe or trying test, experience, or trial.

Based on this reaction, I would submit that we are a society of wimps. I would put forth that an ordeal is, oh, losing a loved one; fighting a war; battling a disease; not knowing where your next meal is coming from; your wagon train arriving at the pass the day of the biggest storm in decades thus stranding you there until spring… you know, hardship.

Inconvenient, noun - an inconvenient circumstance or thing; something that causes discomfort, trouble, etc.

I would suggest that travel delays, mediocre hotel accommodations, rude drivers, and being hounded by the paparazzi – well – these are inconveniences – not ordeals. Or hardships. And in fact, if you have patience and humor, they might even be nice memories, or at a minimum, good stories to be told and laughed about for years to come.

I’m reminded of a time in the early 1980’s when I spent 24 hours snowed in at Chicago O’hare, trying to catch a 40 mintute flight to Detroit. It was the holidays and thousands of people were stranded. By hour 8 or 10, we started unwrapping presents we were to take to others, and playing games. This was not an ordeal. And interestingly, I don’t really remember other flights between Chicago and Detroit although I know I took a few. I do, however, remember the many patient, good-humored people who were forced together that day. And night. And the next day. I vaguely remember a few asses that kept hounding the poor airline reps, insisting they were important people and heads would role and they’d lose their jobs for these unacceptable delays.. blah blah blah… we all know the type – my lord, people of this type go through life this way! Ulcers and negativity and unhappiness, oh my!

So it would be nice if we took a step back when nature rears it’s unpredictable and inconvenient head, and rational thought demands a safer – all be it untimely – change in our plans. Let’s try to see it for what it is – an unpredictable part of life. It’s true that unpredictable inconveniences can lead to ordeals – but really, four hours on the tarmac with no air conditioning…. Well, c’mon people - this ain’t the Donner Party.