A Defecation Explanation

The United States may need its own poopy metaphoric explanations in the near future. 

After taking some of the biggest natural disaster hits of a lifetime in Japan, the country is dealt another awesome hand that comes in the form of the radiation leaking out of cracked reactors in Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which emergency crews are working around the clock to fix it. Fukushima doesn't seem that distant with the San Onofre Nuclear plant so close. But with so much horror and disaster around the uncertain of whether the seawater and boron mixtures that the emergency crews are using to core the reactors core down, and evacuations; how would it feel to be someone living in Fukushima or Japan trying to comprehend the massiveness of what is happening? How would you even begin to explain this to a child of Fukushima? 

The Pile High Club

Are you part of The Pile High Club? Have you ever fired that Tom Cruise missile at over 35,000 feet? The answer is usually a "yes" but this is the type of questions I think I need to start asking strangers when I first meet them. 

In chapel today, I found myself meeting a friend of a friend named Chris. My friend introduced me to him and it was my perfect opportunity to get a few questions from a real stranger. I slid on over to the set next to him and started a little conversation. He asked me my major and year and I responded. Then I knew it was time for the big question... "Are you in the Pile High Club?" 

There was a slight pause then he responded with, "Yes I am, who isn't these days?"

My heart settled and I was very relieved. Right then and there I felt a deep connection between Chris and I. It was something special. I felt that he had understood me and he had never even met me before. I answered back with,

"Exactly! If you are not in the club you are a scrub."

The next question that came from this was pertaining to the structure of the airplane toilets. This struck me as very interesting topic because I have always wondered but never explored the function of the toilets. 

"How crazy is that amazing flush?" I asked

"Absolutely amazing. The fact that press that plastic button and a vacum vortex sucks the poop down at mach 3 speed. There is no such thing as a clog in The Pile High Club." 

A thought-provoking answer right there. This led us into a discussion about where the dookie-doo actually goes. We both agreed that we used to think that It just fell straight out of the plane and just disappeared into the air. Thus we both ended up agreeing that it must go to a holding tank somewhere on the plane. We figured that gravity, distance, and atmospheric pressure could lead to some serious damage down on earth. 

I felt like this conversation was way deeper than any philosophical conversation I have ever had. Maybe these are the questions I need to ask right away when I meet someone. Maybe it will lead straight into the connection that Chris and I experienced. (Or the connection I experienced- he might of not felt the same way.) These are the kind of friendships that are formed through The Pile High Club. These are the type of questions that are formed through The Pile High Club. So next time you are a mile high, think about getting a membership.