who's flying this plane, anyway?
Let's face it: for most people, even -- or maybe especially -- the ones who claim to put God at the center of their lives, God isn't even on the plane, let alone a member of the crew. But what exactly does this "God is my co-pilot" cliche mean?
Well, to put it baldly, the co-pilot doesn't fly the plane: the pilot does. What the co-pilot does is help the pilot fly the plane. He or she does what the pilot tells him/her, and once the plane's at cruising altitude and on auto-pilot, if the pilot wants to take a nap, the co-pilot keeps an eye on the instruments. If the plane flies into trouble, the co-pilot's job is to (wake and) tell the pilot. The pilot is the one who decides what to do and then he/she tells the co-pilot what part of that the co-pilot is to do. The co-pilot obeys or he/she starts reading the employment ads. The only time the co-pilot's actually in charge is if the pilot's incapacitated.
Which is, admittedly, a very accurate description of the relationship most of us have with God, assuming God's on the plane at all, like I said. But is it something to boast about, to say to the world, "I tell God how I want god to improve my life, and by God, god'd better obey because I'm the pilot here"?
If pilot and co-pilot fly together frequently, they may, and I hope do, develop a close working relationship and the pilot may give the co-pilot greater responsibilities. But if the worst happens and they drill a hole in the ground, you'll never hear the FAA talking about "co-pilot error": no, it's the pilot's responsibility entirely to keep the plane in one piece.
Of course what other people plaster to their bumpers, what they mean by it, and whether they pay any attention to it, is their own business. I can take advantage of that cliche and reflect on God's and my relationships with my plane. Is God on my plane? Is god on my planet, for that matter? Do I insist on hogging the pilot's seat, or am I God's co-pilot? Am I on the crew or just a passenger in my own life, and is God merely my stewardess?
Note on pronouns: As they say, God isn't a great big invisible man: god is beyond gender. However, English doesn't have a pronoun that can denote a person who is beyond gender. "It" denies personhood. "He" and "him" are the traditional pronouns, but in actuality they are no more or less correct than "she" and "her"; and there are folks out there who feel desperately threatened by the use of the feminine pronouns to refer to ordinary people, let alone to God! There is the Gullah "shem", but that properly means "he or she, I can't tell from here"; i.e., the person does have gender, the speaker just can't specify at this point. So "shem" would have to undergo an expansion of meaning. So, and I'm not the first, I've started using "god" (note: lower case!) as the only useable pronoun for God. You might have seen other people use "godself" when referring to God, instead of "himself" or "herself". A little back-formation results in "god" substituting for the incorrect "he" and "she", and also substituting for the incorrect "him" and "her".
You don't like it? That's okay with me: you're welcome to come up with your own pronouns. And, of course, to reflect on who's flying your plane.
Well, to put it baldly, the co-pilot doesn't fly the plane: the pilot does. What the co-pilot does is help the pilot fly the plane. He or she does what the pilot tells him/her, and once the plane's at cruising altitude and on auto-pilot, if the pilot wants to take a nap, the co-pilot keeps an eye on the instruments. If the plane flies into trouble, the co-pilot's job is to (wake and) tell the pilot. The pilot is the one who decides what to do and then he/she tells the co-pilot what part of that the co-pilot is to do. The co-pilot obeys or he/she starts reading the employment ads. The only time the co-pilot's actually in charge is if the pilot's incapacitated.
Which is, admittedly, a very accurate description of the relationship most of us have with God, assuming God's on the plane at all, like I said. But is it something to boast about, to say to the world, "I tell God how I want god to improve my life, and by God, god'd better obey because I'm the pilot here"?
If pilot and co-pilot fly together frequently, they may, and I hope do, develop a close working relationship and the pilot may give the co-pilot greater responsibilities. But if the worst happens and they drill a hole in the ground, you'll never hear the FAA talking about "co-pilot error": no, it's the pilot's responsibility entirely to keep the plane in one piece.
Of course what other people plaster to their bumpers, what they mean by it, and whether they pay any attention to it, is their own business. I can take advantage of that cliche and reflect on God's and my relationships with my plane. Is God on my plane? Is god on my planet, for that matter? Do I insist on hogging the pilot's seat, or am I God's co-pilot? Am I on the crew or just a passenger in my own life, and is God merely my stewardess?
Note on pronouns: As they say, God isn't a great big invisible man: god is beyond gender. However, English doesn't have a pronoun that can denote a person who is beyond gender. "It" denies personhood. "He" and "him" are the traditional pronouns, but in actuality they are no more or less correct than "she" and "her"; and there are folks out there who feel desperately threatened by the use of the feminine pronouns to refer to ordinary people, let alone to God! There is the Gullah "shem", but that properly means "he or she, I can't tell from here"; i.e., the person does have gender, the speaker just can't specify at this point. So "shem" would have to undergo an expansion of meaning. So, and I'm not the first, I've started using "god" (note: lower case!) as the only useable pronoun for God. You might have seen other people use "godself" when referring to God, instead of "himself" or "herself". A little back-formation results in "god" substituting for the incorrect "he" and "she", and also substituting for the incorrect "him" and "her".
You don't like it? That's okay with me: you're welcome to come up with your own pronouns. And, of course, to reflect on who's flying your plane.
posted by Carrie | 7:52 AM
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