March 19, 2009. Thursday: “Although taxi driving is a noble job…”
This morning, a man boarded my taxi near Everton park. He was so fat that it was difficult for him to get into the car. After he finally sat down, I started driving to Novena Square the man said of going.
“You must be new. How long have you been driving?” the man started the conversation.
“How do you know I am new?” I threw the question back, glad to oblige him.
“You wear long sleeves. Not many taxi drivers wear long sleeves. And you look very siwen (scholarly).” Then, he added, “You must be a very handsome man when you were young.”
“No, I am more handsome now than before,” I responded. “And yes, I am new. I only started driving about three weeks ago.”
“What were you doing before?”
“I was a teacher.”
“See, I knew it.”
After he learned how I lost my job, he expressed his sympathy, and said to me that it is not my disgrace to lose the job. It’s the system’s. Then he said, “Although taxi driving is a noble job….”
“A noble job?” I interrupted him. “You are the first person who said this to me.”
“Yes, it is a noble job,” he spoke thoughtfully. “A taxi driver has freedom. He is his own boss. And he charges his fees by the meter. Children or elderlies, men or women, all treated the same. But,” he stressed again. “But, you ought to go back to your expertise. Many people can drive taxis, but not many people can do what you did in your expert field. It is a terrible waste for you to drive a taxi….”
I explained to him at length how I view taxi driving and how I want to use this experience to show to the people how to go on with your life when the extreme adversity strikes you. At the end of the journey, the man paid me $10 for a $7 something trip.
The man is over 70 years old. He used to own several factories in Singapore and Malaysia. He also invested in China many years ago but the business didn’t work out, because he was cheated by some people there. That unpleasant experience, however, didn’t affect his admiration for China and Chinese people. He had some really insightful views about many things, including certain issues in Singapore. He is a very wise man in many ways.
Posted by Mingjie Cai at 3:33 PM 0 comments
This morning, a man boarded my taxi near Everton park. He was so fat that it was difficult for him to get into the car. After he finally sat down, I started driving to Novena Square the man said of going.
“You must be new. How long have you been driving?” the man started the conversation.
“How do you know I am new?” I threw the question back, glad to oblige him.
“You wear long sleeves. Not many taxi drivers wear long sleeves. And you look very siwen (scholarly).” Then, he added, “You must be a very handsome man when you were young.”
“No, I am more handsome now than before,” I responded. “And yes, I am new. I only started driving about three weeks ago.”
“What were you doing before?”
“I was a teacher.”
“See, I knew it.”
After he learned how I lost my job, he expressed his sympathy, and said to me that it is not my disgrace to lose the job. It’s the system’s. Then he said, “Although taxi driving is a noble job….”
“A noble job?” I interrupted him. “You are the first person who said this to me.”
“Yes, it is a noble job,” he spoke thoughtfully. “A taxi driver has freedom. He is his own boss. And he charges his fees by the meter. Children or elderlies, men or women, all treated the same. But,” he stressed again. “But, you ought to go back to your expertise. Many people can drive taxis, but not many people can do what you did in your expert field. It is a terrible waste for you to drive a taxi….”
I explained to him at length how I view taxi driving and how I want to use this experience to show to the people how to go on with your life when the extreme adversity strikes you. At the end of the journey, the man paid me $10 for a $7 something trip.
The man is over 70 years old. He used to own several factories in Singapore and Malaysia. He also invested in China many years ago but the business didn’t work out, because he was cheated by some people there. That unpleasant experience, however, didn’t affect his admiration for China and Chinese people. He had some really insightful views about many things, including certain issues in Singapore. He is a very wise man in many ways.
Posted by Mingjie Cai at 3:33 PM 0 comments
