Pokémons and other security issues

AS with many fellow travelers, my business schedule pointed toward the capital where a work meeting required my presence. Along with my colleagues, we headed toward the airport after purchasing our tickets online. We felt a bit weary as we had all received text messages advising us to avoid public and overly crowded places as these are difficult times. Indeed, every time we decided to look at the news on TV, the whole world seemed to be riddled with an ever-growing wave of violence. After having parked the car, we headed toward the doors of the departure terminal and mistakenly entered through the wrong entrance. I was expecting to be scolded, given the latest security measures that only allow travelers to actually enter the building. Thankfully, the police officer supervising this gateway was busy investigating the virtual world, eyes focused on his mobile phone. Part of me felt reassured, thinking I probably gave too much importance to all these potential threats, so the vision of this young man sitting in a chair, chatting, texting or hunting for Pokémons, made me feel like I was being overdramatic. We headed to the check-in desk and one of my colleagues pulled out his mobile phone, showing the digital copy of our plane tickets. I was already fiddling with my handbag to pull out my ID card, being accustomed to traveling since a very early age. Much to my surprise, the agent at the check-in desk did not request any type of identification, which tickled a remote part of my brain, but I dismissed the thought, letting myself go to the general feeling of relaxation. We then headed to the security checks, and again, apart from the gentleman reviewing the x-ray machine or the one checking if the metal detector signaled anything suspicious, every other person appointed to guaranteeing our security and well-being, was busy eyeballing their phones with the outmost expression of zeal. Not a second passed without their eyes being glued to their screens. We sat for a coffee and waited for our flight to be called. Once the time came, we got in line and patiently waited for our turn handing over the boarding pass and... nothing else. No piece of identification was once again requested (much to my surprise). We went down the flight of stairs heading for the bus, went through a simple sliding door and off we were boarding our plane. I have to admit I was starting to get really confused, had we really boarded a plane in Saudi Arabia in these troubled times, without having to present any piece of identification whatsoever? I settled into my seat thinking it must have been an exception or a combination of excruciating shifts that had lowered the attention span of the airport personnel. I decided to wait for my return flight before I would express any judgment on the matter. Long story short, the return flight, at the end of a day of professional meetings was executed in the exact same way as our morning flight. Again, we managed to board a plane without anyone requesting to check if the names on our boarding passes actually matched the names on our pieces of identification. I have been traveling in this country all my life and I still feel that it is the safest of the countries where I often spend time as I know that the security measures and the efforts that are dedicated to security in this country are top of the line. One can probably walk around at night with a big stack of riyals hanging from his pocket and make it home without the smallest of worries and for this I am truly thankful as it allows me to focus on paying my bills and earning a living. My only concern or doubt revolves around the distraction caused by these mobile phones and the apparent lack of attention when it comes to respecting simple security measures such as checking travelers IDs before they board a plane. With all the efforts undertaken by the people who actually care about our security and trust me when I say this, the efforts are relentless, I find the behavior of the airport ground personnel to be somewhat a shame. As the ads always mention, ensuring our security and well-being is an effort that we must all make together, so: Let’s work together to make sure that we all get home safely to our families once our jobs are done. Many thanks, A random traveler