Flight delays are a test from God
iStockPhoto Do you think cooling your heels in an airport for a few hours is pure torture? It could be much, much worse. A group of more than 1,500 Muslim pilgrims in Tanzania recently endured a flight delay of nine days. They were supposed to depart on Dec. 3 for Mecca for the hajj, the pilgrimage that ...
iStockPhoto
Do you think cooling your heels in an airport for a few hours is pure torture? It could be much, much worse. A group of more than 1,500 Muslim pilgrims in Tanzania recently endured a flight delay of nine days. They were supposed to depart on Dec. 3 for Mecca for the hajj, the pilgrimage that is one of the pillars of Islam. But because of bureaucratic snafus, the pilgrims were stranded at the airport until Dec. 12 (and some until Dec. 13).
But patience is apparently a virtue. A correspondent for the BBC reported that the pilgrims were not angry, but, rather, saw the delays as a test of their faith. One pilgrim said:
Anyone who gets angry because of flight delays at this time of year does not know Islam.
It’s a helpful thought to keep in mind. Such cognitive reframing may help you manage stress, whatever your religion (if you have one), as you head to the airport this holiday season.
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