Somebody or nobody?

Today finds me in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I arrived this morning after a fairly long (11.5 hours) flight from Heathrow. as you know, air travel is a normal way of life for me. I suppose I fly long haul about once per month. I try to fly with the same airline - it's good for the air miles and means I am now a gold card holder in their frequent flyer programme. It's a great perk - it means you can use the business class lounge when you fly, even when you are on the cheapest economy ticket (as I usually am!). 'My' airline also has a policy of sending one of the cabin crew to greet gold card holders by name once you are on board, just to be sure you are happy and know you are valued!

But the best perk is that you don't have to queue up in the economy line for check in but can go straight to the First Class (or Gold) desk. You avoid the delay, get treated line you are important and don't have to line up with the riff raff.

But here's the problem. It can lull you into thinking you are more important or valuable than other people. You start to expect special treatment. I confess I have used this to my advantage when I turned up late for a flight one day and was told the flight was already boarded. Without getting upset I smiled nicely and said, 'you wouldn't leave a gold card holder stranded at the airport, would you?' It worked - I was whisked through and the person in charge of boarding the flight even held the flight up in order to come onto the plane to tell me my bags had been safely loaded and all was OK!

Last night I wasn't travelling with 'my' airline. I had to queue with everyone else - and it was a full flight and really chaotic. No one came to whisk me past the economy line to a dedicated 'Gold' check in. There was no free drinks and canapes in the lounge - I had to wander around the terminal like all the other poor souls. When I boarded no one greeted me as an honoured guest or came to make sure I was comfortable. Can I confess something awful? I felt frustrated. I felt bad that no one seemed to value me or treat me as significant. What a terrible thing to feel, eh?

I remember watching Will Smith's recent film 'the pursuit of happiness'. It's a fantastic film based on a true story. Will Smith plays a single father of a young child. He's trying to make his way in life, but everything seems to conspire against him. He and his son end up sleeping in the public toilets on the subway. The sense of hopelessness really comes over strongly. Despite all attempts to make something of his life, there seems to be no way out of poverty and desperation. At one point he remembers that a friend owes him a few dollars - so he goes to his home, wakes him up in the middle of the night demanding his friend cough up - even though he's no better off either.

I've watched the film a few times and every time I see it I am reminded that for the vast majority of our world's population life is like that. The poor and vulnerable far outnumber the rich and famous. Many families struggle through life surviving on less than one US$ per day. Even in our work (emergency management) we find ourselves distributing a bag containing 15kgs of rice and 2 kgs of Dal to a family in India who have just lost everything and think somehow we are doing them a favour! Is that really all they are worth? I think it's time for a reality check, don't you?

I remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man - how the values of the kingdom of heaven turn upside down the values of this world.

God, help me remember that the destitute family reaching out in humble gratitude for the meagre ration of rice will one day be the 'Gold card' members in the Kingdom.

'They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west,

and sit down in the kingdom of God.

Both the rich and the poor, the despised and distressed,

and sit down in the Kingdom of God.

And none shall ask where they have been, provided that their robes are clean.

They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west,

and sit down in the Kingdom of God' (John Gowans)