Yesterday, I was stuck on an airplane for most of the day. As I got ready for my trip, still intent on winning America’s Giving competition and half delirious with lack of sleep in my attempts to do just that, I imagined what amazing things could happen if all the people on a single plane collaborated to commit a single act of kindness.

So I decided to conduct a little social experiment, let’s call it the “Friendly Skies Experiment,” to find out how many people I could get on an airplane to do a random act of kindness for a stranger – in this case, the act being to make a $10 donation to Epic Change toward the rebuilding of Shepherds Junior school.

My game plan was simple: go up to each passenger who wasn’t otherwise occupied, ask them if they wanted to participate in my experiment and give them the following information card:

So once we hit an altitude of 30,000 feet (and I shook off a bad case of fear), I got up and went to the back of the plane to start my little experiment. I started off well, but let’s just say that the airline didn’t quite approve of my unorthodox approach. A flight attendant took me aside, actually to the flight attendant station and asked me if I was soliciting and if I had permission to do what I was doing. I explained that I wasn’t soliciting, that I was “experimenting,” and speaking only to those passengers who were otherwise unoccupied and who agreed to participate in my experiment. I added my personal philosophy that, in cases like this, “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.” This particular flight attendant said okay, “experiment away”.

After handing out about 5 of the cards I’d prepared, the purser asked to speak to me, and requested that I conclude my experiment. Another flight attendant present said that my little experiment could qualify as a form of harassment. (Actually, the Ricky Martin sales pitch on the overhead projection system seemed more like solicitation and harassment to me, but I digress . . .) Of course, I immediately complied. I wasn’t trying to create a scene, just to come to a scientific conclusion to what I still think is a fairly interesting question: What if the free time individuals use on a plane twiddling thumbs could be directed toward discussing and taking small steps to address any single issue? The world might just be a lot better place.

So, the “Friendly Skies Experiment” was cut short, although I still wonder what the outcome might have been. I’m actually extremely proud of my fearlessness too; I think I’ve proven once and for all (as if my international Yentl impersonation wasn’t enough), I’ll do whatever it takes to make certain this school gets built.

Yep, anything – go ahead, double dog dare me.