Over the weekend we went into the city from the suburbs twice. Both times we hit a lot of traffic on the expressways. Through all of the stop and go, I had an opportunity to notice how different each of our cars are.
Different colors, different models, some big, and some small. No two were visibly alike. It led me to the question as to whether we really are that different as individuals? We feel like we are more similar than different yet many of the cars I saw on the road I would have never chosen.
We want people to act in ways that we feel are consistent with our worldview but after looking at all of the different cars on the highway I question whether anyone can? Our cars are so different from each other therefore we must be as well.
Thinking about the traffic jam, it then occurred to me, it is one of the few places where we are all the same. Where no one is better than the next person. Not money or status or education can get you through a traffic jam any faster on a crowded expressway. Whether your car is fancy and new, or loved and old, we all end up having the same stop and go experience in high traffic on an expressway.
In front of our eyes, in these traffic jams together with our experience while in them, we see the extremes of life. Our diversity and similarities folded neatly to be seen through our windshield.
Yet it took me 61 years to see this through mine. Our lives do have both differences and similarities between us. Being able to recognize this begins to bring about a richness to life that many sadly miss Understanding this should change our demeanor from one of frustration to tolerance and from insistence to collaboration when interacting with others.
This is just another example of how much each one of us miss in life and how much life can offer us when we become more aware of the things we missed along the way.