Is long flights really so bad?

I'm doing this update on the plane on my way to Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Not a live updaate of course. There is no Internet connection, but I have brought my notebook.

Up above the clouds, I remember the often mentioned dread or hatred about being stuck in the pigeon hole they call an economy class seat during long flights. and I would like to say that I don't think it is that bad.

The enforced sojourn is confining of course, but on the other hand it provides an opportunity for me to do something that I otherwise do not get to do because of my hectic schedule, such as reading a book for an extended length of time. Before writing this, I have actually finished one whole book which I only started reading when waiting for boarding. I can imagine what the country I am about to visit is like, even though invariably the subsequent trip will prove the imagination to be wildly off the mark. I can look out of the window and see different scens I don't get to see often. Depending on the weather, the time of the day and the elevation and inclination of the plane, the interesting things may range from an authentic 3D map to a firmament with the colours of the sky and shapes of the clouds so fascinating that one has a feeling of being in heaven. In short, it is a time for me to experience the wisdom that making the journey is more valuable than reaching the destination.

Not being able to sleep well or at all is the hard part of course, but if we try to accept it as part and parcel of the trip and to properly equip ourselves with such things as a neck pillow or a blanket, that should make it more tolerable.

And if you really cannot sleep, try looking out of the window, you might see an angel waving at you.