So, I decided to take the wonderful public transportation provided by the greatest city in the world, NYC. Several important issues were brought to light almost immediately. First, for my fellow drivers I don't think it was as bad as we drivers anticipate it to be. In fact, it was a little relaxing because I didn't have to keep my eyes peeled on the road wondering when the next taxi driver would make a sporadic turn and end up in my lane. You actually get to read or sleep while you're on your way to your destination! Multitasking galore. Yes, I know there are downfalls like the germs or the random strangers in your personal space but I chose to focus on the positives. My foot actually fell asleep, I pray to god that doesn't happen to my fellow drivers.
Its the only place in the universe where a homeless drunk ( I saw him drink out of a bottle) can sit and converse with a middle aged business woman on her i pad. It was delightful to watch this exchange. He was probably 70, african american seemingly poor and she was mid 50's in a white pea coat, with the newest techie toy speaking to him about everyday things. She was clearly able to smell the liquor on his breath but she chose not to let that blur her conversation with her. Maybe she was intoxicated as well, it was after happy hour. If these two complete strangers can enjoy a friendly exchange what is it that stops everyone from mingling ? Brought up in a predominately west indian area in new york I'm more likely to win a dirty glance rather than appreciative conversation from my fellow peers. And I believe the word peers should illuminate that sentence because of the weight it holds. We are essentially blocking each other from achieving the progress we need as a community even as a gender. Women are always more likely to critique each other in my personal opinion. A clear example is in one of my limited experiences in the job market, the chief of the department for which I was interning caught a few of my rookie mistakes and casually mentioned it to me and ended up fixing it himself. A female superior handled the situation quite differently. She made it her priority to find out exactly who I was, my precise qualifications (if any) and swiftly brought it to the attention of my fellow interns as well as myself. She made quite a big deal out of it. Initially I was pretty upset questioning her ultimate goal in creating such a disturbance but I later (much later) decided that she was doing it for my benefit. However true this was I created that illusion and I still believe it. This can even take us back to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics where he defines Happiness for us. Eudaimonea is that overall 'good life', it is where we take life's punches and rolls as they come without fluttering our feathers. We take all the challenges and downfalls with pride and create a fort of some sort where no external activity that we don't control doesn't essentially affect us. I am a huge advocate of this philosophy and maybe that is why I decided to take the earlier account the way which I did.
Now before I wrap up my adventures on the subway there must be a --don't take your life for granted excerpt from me. There's is a blind guy here with his cane and sunglasses. He is well dressed and he isn't scowling like the rest of the train. That makes you think, he only has four senses and he is seemingly content. We have all five and we're miserable from time to time. I ask you my friends-- imagine for one day not being able to see. Yes. There are those of you who would say if you never had it, you simply won't miss it. How about not having something that EVERYONE had ? Something you were biologically predestined to have ?Appreciate your every day. You've been blessed this far in life. Luck however is something that happens to you, what you actually Do with that luck , if anything is completely up to.. Guess who ? YOU.
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