We can always count on traveling to create excitement. You can usually count on either learning a valuable lesson, or experiencing unusual events. This experience always supplies us with either answers or questions. Since 9-11, I have made it a practice to be aware of my surroundings, while traveling, especially on airplanes.
Last Wednesday morning was no exception, as I boarded a 6:00 am flight. Upon entering the plane I heard the flight attendants commenting on a woman having too large of a bag. As I approached my row, a broadcast came over the speaker for the woman with the oversized bag, to bring it to the front of the plane. I did not notice any reaction, then a man in the aisle seat where I was standing, turned and politely told a woman that they had called for her to bring her bag to the front. To my surprise, the woman, stood and hit the man across his shoulder. This was not playful slap, as she smacked him with all her strength.

At the exact same time, I was trying to process what had happened, the man spoke a few choice words to the woman and her reply was that he should mind his own business; continuing with a rather colorful argument. I was simply amazed that someone would snap over her own selfishness of not wanting to check her bag, and strike a complete stranger. Soon the Pilot removed the woman from the plane, and many people were in amazement at seeing the event. As I continued to process the highlights, in my mind, the first thing I thought of   was, "I wonder if this woman has children." I began to imagine what their life must have been like growing up. I also felt concern about how their life was now, after living their childhood and adolescence with this woman who clearly had some major anger issues. I then heard someone behind me say that the woman must have just had a bad day. I thought to myself, no, this woman is having a bad life. She is possibly a victim of some type of traumatic childhood herself. It is a fact that we become what we learn as children, and this woman had clearly learned the wrong things. I do not know if she had children, nor could I know under what conditions they were raised.

I only know that something more traumatic than just having a bad day would create her actions. When we are children, we are molded into who we are as adults, and she clearly did not learn how to love or respect others. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children, who are the future of our society, to love and respect other people. This is a quality that people carry with them the rest of their lives and pass on to their children. This woman was not just having a bad day; she is unfortunately living her life from a position of fear, rather than love. Fear is her focus and anger is her curse. No parent is perfect. Most of us have had to work through issues that haunt us from our childhood. As parents, we have one chance to raise our children to live from a position of love. Know that whatever we teach our children, they will most likely pass it on to our grand children. Our society is in great need of everyone breaking the pattern of dysfunctional experiences to teach love, not fear.