The Musings
3
Wednesday,
January 9
Read: Psalms
8
The Boeing Aircraft the 787 Dreamliner was one of the aircrafts that had
a much acclaimed entry into the aviation field. It was called the new marvel in
the sky. Pilots and other aviation enthusiasts were thrilled and amazed not
only at the different features inside the aircraft and the technology
associated with it, but also in the way it was built. Most of the modern aircrafts
are built from aluminum and its alloys, but the Boeing 787 uses a relatively high
percentage of composite materials [ Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic] in its
construction of the aircraft. These materials have higher strength to weight
ratio thus bringing about greater durability and also reducing weight of the
aircraft at the same time. These construction features helps the aircraft to
contribute positively in terms of comforts to passengers and pilots as the
aircraft flies at high altitude. Thus every major airline like Emirates, Air India, United and
host of other airline companies who bought this new aircraft at a list price of
$207 million advertised through the different news agencies that they are using
this magnificent aircraft in some of their prime routes. The Emirates and some
other airlines had also brought a video presentation of the features of the new
787 dreamliner. The Boeing 787
Dreamliner was indeed a state of art technology aircraft. Last year the this
aircraft was honoured with the "Aircraft of Legend" awarded by the
Living Legends of Aviation organization. But in the last two day, with two
incidents happening on simultaneous days at the Boston Logan's airport, the
reputation of 787 dreamliner has taken a beating. On Monday an electrical fire
broke out in an empty, parked Japan Airlines 787 Dreamliner, just as the
passengers had disembarked from the aircraft.
The cleaning crews saw smoke in the cabin and the fire crews arrived in
minutes to extinguish the fire. It seems that the battery that powers the jet's
electrical system had apparently exploded when the engines were turned
off. Investigators had to rush in to
examine the plane on a day when with this incident the Boeing stock closed at 2.6%
lower than the previous day. And on Tuesday, that is yesterday, as the Japan
Airlines Dreamliner loaded with 181 passengers were thundering down the runway to
take off, it was the alertness of another pilot in another plane who noticed
that fuel was spewing from the wing of the jetliner. Soon the dreamliner made
an emergency landing and the Boeing 787 towed away for another examination. One
can never imagine what would have happened if the alert pilot in the other
aircraft had noticed, an aviation disaster was avoided in time. These two incidents have put the Boeing in a
tight spot. Most of the airlines who have purchased aircraft from Boeing have
affirmed that they are satisfied at the performance of the dreamliner and
asserts that every aircraft has its own glitches. Strange, what about glitches
when flying. When human being tend to make new and new discoveries and new
innovations that re design human life, I think we tend to gloat over it and
unknowingly we tend to consider ourselves mightier and infallible. It is
incidents like these that teaches us that what is important in human life is
not being arrogant and gloating over the massive stride that take in every
aspect of our life, but be always be cautious and humble with the concept that
we are human beings and are fallible and fallen.
One
of the most beautiful passages about the uniqueness about human beings and also
the fallibility of human beings is found in Psalms 8. This is one of the Psalms
which is considered as a wonderful expression of praise and adoration. David is amazed at the God of creation and
the wonderful ways that the whole universe is created. But in the midst of this
wonderful creation of universe, one finds that God has also focused his attention
and lavishes his love on human beings.
Human beings who are crowned with glory and honour, is made to rule over
the works of God, and God had placed everything under the authority of human beings.
But when God gives this authority and this unique privilege to human beings,
what God expects us is to discover our true value, worth and authority through
our relationship with God. But somehow today, we have forgotten God and has
always exalted ourselves and the contributions and achievements that we make in
our life. Whenever we make discoveries and new innovations in science and
technology, this is often used as a time of God bashing or confirming that we
the human beings are infallible and that dependence on God are tales of the
past or grandmothers folklores. Rather
than thanking God for giving us the wisdom to make new discoveries we use these
tools such as the discoveries of Dreamliner 787 as an event and object to
distance ourselves from God and having a qualitative relationship with the
creator. Hence I believe when hitches and problems like what happened to Dreamliner
787 in these two days, teaches us that we need to be humble, recognize that all
discoveries and innovations has limitations and that we human being are fallible.
It is only when we consciously recognize this fact of fallibility and our limitations
that we will depend more on our Lord,
acknowledge him daily and thank him for the wisdom and the grace that He gives
us daily for which we are not worthy.
Let us therefore always live in such a way that affirms that God we are
nothing without you and it is through you that we make discoveries and
achievement s in life. Let these thoughts make us humble.
