325. I was forced to self-realize on an airplane

The flight from Dubai to Los Angeles felt like home. Not in terms of the amenities, but in terms of the atmosphere. I could smell baby poop and wet wipes and hear the cry of babies who were on their mission to keep their parents and the flight attendants on the edge. From what I could see, the babies were doing a fantastic job. There is something about long flights. They tie you down to a seat, stop you from using a phone, and force you to self-realize (you might say, “Karthik! But what about the onboard Wi-Fi?” Apparently it is only for texting, and I don’t have too many friends). When you’re tired, bored, and can’t find that many movies that you haven’t seen, you either sleep or stay awake long enough to get into a zone of self-realization. The hum of the airplane engines minimizes distraction and gives you a perfect atmosphere to self-realize. It gives you time to pause and look back. It helps you see your journey—how far you’ve come and how much further you’ll have to go, literally and figuratively. While you’re in the zone, you also think about the purpose of it all. Why am I doing what I’m doing? If not this, what would I be doing? And will I be doing the same thing for the rest of my lives? I found the answer to the first question. I do what I do because my job combines the three things I love most—writing, talking about tech, and storytelling. There’s nothing more perfect than being a marketer in tech. If not this, I would be a writer, or an RJ, or a café owner. Will I be doing tech marketing for the rest of my life? I would love to. But, with everything that’s going on, being a tech marketer ten years down the line is like renting video cassettes in the age of streaming services. I know it’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I could feel that the evolution of every job in tech is underway and will see a massive shift by the end of this decade. Before I could think further, the captain announced that we had begun our descent and would be landing shortly in LA. I guess I’ll think more on my flight back to Chennai.