Your oxygen mask IS working 1
6th Oct 2008
Hello lovely people
Have you ever been on a plane and listened to the safety announcements? I know, when you are a regular air passenger, you get into the habit of blocking out the safety announcements because they are always the same and always boring.
But let’s see how well you have listened the first time.
What do you do when the cabin pressure drops? Yes, yes you grab the oxygen mask that drops out and put it over your mouth so that you can continue breathing. And only then do you help the passenger next to you with his or her oxygen mask, even if it is a child or a frail person.
There was a recent incident where a plane rapidly lost air pressure and the oxygen masks were dropped to the passengers. Everyone survived – and in true human tradition, everyone complained like hell and without thinking, even though they survived. Why did they complain? Because the oxygen masks “were not working” and the staff “did not tell them what was going on”.
Did you know that when you use that oxygen mask on the plane, there isn’t a blast of oxygen? There is a soft flow, like a breath. That soft, gentle flow of oxygen is enough to keep you alive. Without that oxygen you will lose consciousness within twelve seconds and asphyxiate soon after.
And it is because of that short time span that you need to put on your oxygen mask first, and then help the person next to you. If you focus on first struggling with someone else’s oxygen mask, you will lose consciousness very quickly and be of no use to anyone.
And guess what? The staff members on the plane are also human, and the same rule holds for them as well. They must also grab the nearest oxygen mask within twelve seconds or lose consciousness. And because the staff can be anywhere on the plane, there are additional oxygen masks above the seats throughout the plane. Staff members do not need to run anywhere for air when timing is so crucial.
That means that staff members probably will often not be near any public announcement system so that they can state the bleeding obvious, namely that the plane is losing air pressure and people must use the oxygen masks.
The pilots are also subject to the same timeframe of twelve seconds, and if they have to choose between staying conscious and getting the plane down safely on the one hand, and keeping passengers informed of every move on the other hand, I know what I would expect them to do.
We often have a similar ungrateful approach to our faith.
We expect massive one-off miracles as proof of the existence of God and completely ignore the hundreds of small miracles that we encounter every day. To be continued.
If you would like to receive regular details on my public appearances as well as information that will not be published on the blog, please subscribe to my email list on the blog. Please do this even if you already receive blog updates by email, because the email list is a separate list.
If you would like to leave a comment on the website, click on Comments at the bottom of any entry. Alternatively, if you receive this by email, click here. Then click on Comments at the bottom of the entry. A block will open where you can leave a much appreciated comment.
Love and Light
Elsabe
