In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency...

Jeremiah Wooten, a student in my seminar exploring Catholic Perspectives on American Law writes:

 If there is a change in cabin pressure, oxygen masks will release from the panels above your seat.  Pull the mask over your nose and mouth and breathe normally to start the flow of oxygen.  If assisting a child or other passenger, secure the mask to yourself before helping the other passenger. 

                Anyone who has ever flown commercially has heard this phrase or some variation of it, and if you are like me, you have felt uneasy about being instructed to save yourself before you save someone else.  How selfish is this?  If I was traveling with my children and the masks dropped, my first instinct would be to help them get set up before doing anything else, yet these are the instructions before every flight.  Perhaps it is reiterated before every take off because it is so counter intuitive.  But the idea is simple, if you can’t breathe, then you pass out and can’t help others in need, and then they pass out, and in the end everyone loses.  However, if you take care of yourself first, you will be able to assist others in need, and in the end, everyone benefits.

But does this scenario have deeper meaning?  Could these instructions provide insight into the human experience?  Catholic social thought instructs every person to live a life of solidarity, the selfless giving of oneself in order to help your neighbor.  But if you don’t take care of yourself first, how much do you have to offer?  Conversely, in our ultra-individualistic society, we often spend far too much time taking care of our own needs and desires.  Where is the line drawn?  How can there be a balance?  Perhaps the airlines have it right: before you help others, make sure you can “breathe” on your own.