59th Edition
I’ve been a loyal reader of the Wall Street Journal for over forty years. It is an excellent source of current business and economic trends, and provides a balanced commentary on political and social issues. Moreover, since I first began writing newsletters in 1995, the WSJ has given me plenty of opportunities to offer a different (but hopefully insightful) perspective on some noteworthy topics. Occasionally, an article appears that seems less serious, even silly, on the surface, but buried within can be a pertinent issue that deserves attention.
The April 9th article in the Wall Street Journal – “The Four Most Divisive Words on a Flight: Will You Swap Seats?” might be a good example. At first glance the topic might seem trivial, even ludicrous, but let’s dig a little deeper. Apparently, there is a great deal of angst as well as controversy over seat swapping on airplanes. Since virtually every commercial flight is jammed pack, even over-booked, passengers sometimes can’t book seats next to each other, so, after boarding they ask fellow passengers to swap seats. Seems harmless, right? Well, it’s not. Many people refuse, only to be badgered by the people who ask them to swap seats. As one interviewee in the article stated, “I think that airlines, especially now, bring out our deepest psychoses.” Really? Perhaps this situation begs a deeper question – Have we lost our civility? As another person named James stated, “99% of the time I’m going to say no. I picked this seat. I want to have it. I paid extra for it.” Good for him, I guess.
About twenty years ago, I was on a flight sitting in the second row in the coach section. The first row faced backwards and a young mom in the seat directly facing me was holding a very agitated baby. The poor little guy was screaming as we all buckled in for takeoff. A few minutes after we got airborne, he was still wailing. It was going to be a long flight. After about ten minutes, I asked the mom if she minded if I held the baby. Can you imagine doing that today? For some reason I have always had a knack for comforting babies by singing softly to them. It always worked with our three kids, so I thought – What do I have to lose? The mom looked at me, smiled, then handed him over. I held him close, and started singing my song… I love you, my little boy, I love you my little boy. Tell me little boy, do you love me, too?” OK, I’m no Billy Joel, but my simple ditty worked. In a few minutes, the baby quieted and was soon sound asleep. I held him until we landed about an hour later. When I handed the baby back, several passengers clapped. I really don’t think something like that could happen today. I hope I’m wrong.
While I am not a fan of flying or airlines in general, I don’t think we should blame selfish, inconsiderate behavior on them. Is it really that big of a deal to swap seats so a family can sit together? Shouldn’t it be the automatic, courteous thing to do?
Basic civility should not be a topic for a WSJ article. Civility should be a given, happening naturally everywhere, all the time. People should smile at strangers they pass on the street or in the grocery aisle. Ditto for fellow airline passengers, especially those who arrive late, and have to climb over you to get to the window seat. People should say please and thank you, naturally and consistently, and practice random acts of kindness. Of course, many people do these essential things, but some do not. Basic civility is the foundation post for a healthy and thriving community. Without it, we become tribal, self-centered, and callous. Then we end up reading articles in the WSJ like the ridiculous one above.
There are so many more important topics for the WSJ to cover, and for us to read and debate, like the economy, business, politics, international affairs, technological innovation, and cultural issues related to climate, the environment, and health care, to name just a few.
Sadly, and inevitably, when we somehow drift away from basic virtues, like common civility, we become disconnected. We then tend to struggle in more important areas. Divided we can’t find common ground nor are we willing to compromise. The end result is that we fall short of what we are capable of accomplishing, as a community and as a nation. The most effective and impactful leadership always starts with service to others. And sometimes it starts with moving to the middle seat, one row behind.
Check out this link to a compilation of newsletters I wrote from 1996 – 2022: https://kayesbooks.com/economics/
Please help me grow my readership by forwarding this to a friend(s). In the meantime, say tuned for my next newsletter. Thanks
Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.