Arrivals and departures

The scene has not changed at all.

It has remained the same over the years. I am sure you have seen it, however, am unsure at the same time whether you have noticed it, but for someone like me who keeps on travelling all the time, not just domestically, but also for foreign speaking assignments and yearly vacations, I see the predictable scene unfold in front of my eyes every time, and it has never failed.

When I arrive at an airport, there would be smiles and hugs all over the place. A car would pull up, and the driver would come out, along with a kid or two, or perhaps more. And the (plane) passenger would excitedly carry all of his or her luggage, only to leave them behind, then rush into the arms of the driver and they would finally hug. Sometimes the kids would just stay in the car, but others would get out and join the embrace. Hugs, smiles, and kisses permeated all over the arrival area.

When it’s time for me to go home, I still would see the same predictable scene everywhere. They say that time changes everything. I am not too sure about that when it deals with airport scenes.

Here, sullen and somber faces replace the smiles though the embraces are still there. There may be pats on the shoulders, but the common factor in departure scenes is tears: tears from parents sending their children away, tears from lovers separating from each other, tears from spouses knowing that they will have to bear the burden of being alone for a while.

Arrivals and departures: smiles and laughter in one area, tears and sadness in another. The drama of life. Art form in its truest rendition and most sincere way. No scripts, no programs, and everything a matter of life’s spontaneous moments. Isn’t this what life is all about?

A child comes into the world and that little fellow brings joy and smiles on the faces of the people anticipating his or her arrival. Cigars are distributed, congratulations expressed, photos are “Instagrammed” endlessly announcing the arrival of the most beautiful baby in the world according to its parents, and the smartest creature the world has ever seen according to the grandparents.

The arrival scene is a time for joyous celebration.

Go to a wake. Visit a funeral. Somebody departed. And there are tears shed under the occasions’ most sullen and somber mood and moments. Stories are told in the past tense.

Arrivals and departures. That is what life is all, about isn’t it?

I do business talks and business trainings. Yes, I do a lot of these and the piles of clientele keep on increasing. I have been doing this for years and I have seen them arrive and have witnessed some depart.

“Arrived” means new hires. There is happiness and great anticipation. Some creative companies actually create a party-like welcome for the new-hires so that the incumbents would welcome them into their new “home” and “family.” I have also seen some of them depart. 

Many of these good people have worked for more than 30 years and have left the company with a legacy of goodness and accomplishment that is being enjoyed by the new generation that replaced them. I have also seen the old generation of business owners leave and the business is now in the hands of the second or third generation.

I have witnessed some sad and bad departures as well.

Others left the company with bitterness and resentment thinking that all the years of their toil have amounted to nothing and now that they have aged, they have been disposed of and replaced by “young blood.”

I have seen business owners fighting over the business as well. What their parents set out to do is now under the contention of the children fighting over the family wealth and business and it doesn’t take long to witness the enterprise collapse. Such is the drama of life.

This is why the wisest man who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes was right when he said, “Everything is meaningless under the sun. A chasing after the wind.” But thank God he does not end with a fatalistic note. He did say that “Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the duty of all mankind.”

Here is my best unsolicited advice based on a popular saying credited to a Native American proverb: When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. (That is arrival). Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and rejoice. (Now, that is the right kind of departure.)

Think deeper about this as you start the New Year and work towards this goal.

(Start the New Year right with Francis Kong. Sign up to update and upgrade your leadership and life skills with his highly acclaimed “Level Up Leadership” workshop seminar Jan. 13-14 at Makati Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 or 6310660 for details.)