Abstract :
I am writing this while flying from Israel to the United States. As usual, I am flying economy class, and college professors´ salaries being what they are, this is not likely to change any time soon. Though I enjoy visiting different locales, flying is not something I do for pleasure. From the time I go through the initial security check to the time I cross passport control and customs and pick up my bags, I feel like I have lost whatever makes me an individual and have become one of a great many cogs. I find the experience unpleasant and dehumanizing. Especially in these trying times, it is important to do what we can to keep people from becoming, or feeling that they have become, cogs in a huge, soulless machine.
