Stereotypes

In the beginning, I drove Lyft for more hours than I should have. I never caused or was involved in an accident, never dozed off behind the wheel, and always knew my limits.

One of the ways I knew it was time to stop driving was:

Rule # 27: When listening to the birds chirping near your car and trying to amplify it by increasing the radio’s volume.

We are exposed to biases one way or the other, whether it be through the internet, television, family members, news outlets, friends, foes, and personal life encounters. Some of these biases tend to be positive in nature and could help us inaccurately make assumptions about something for which we lack knowledge.

An example of a bias shaped by past experience is, “you have consumed six different varieties of fish, so now there is a good chance you will enjoy the seventh variety too.” You might be right or wrong and will figure that out soon after you order the halibut.

The actual antagonists of this tale are negative biases. Take, for example, the case where a person got sick after trying fish for the first time. So, that person decided to never eat fish again. Unfortunately, the first fish dish you tried is the only one you did not enjoy. The rest would have become your all-time favorite if not for your negative bias ruining everything.

Yet again, Here is an instance of negative bias in the form of the pet peeves everybody seems to have. and like I said earlier we all have biases. There are ways to minimize their effect on our lives, but taking a conscious decision to ignore them, is purely naive. The only rational step can take is figure out how to manage these biases.

Pulled up to pickup the next ride and as the popup said, I would see him in a minute. It’s been longer than a couple of minutes and I have not seen bob at all. Just another side note: I’ve neevr cancelled on a rider. The have cancelled on me, many times, but not the other way around. Like I said, I wont do that to them. What would taking an hour do to them? Not thes easiest thing for someone using a walker.

So I waited my turn and finally out struts a guy who is headed my way wearing too much swagger while sporting an attitude of

This is the kind of error that only happens when I'm juggling with too many things. In this case, it was my perceptual set with its normal inner workings telling me the most convenient version of the truth.

While forgetting some of the sunglasses, he wore high-tops, ripped trousers, and dazzled with pendant jewelry that would ground him in a tornado. Also, a leather jacket, that I only assume was a placeholder for anything with functional value and had no use outside of looks.

Even fuller than before, but now blocking him from sight entirely was a baseball cap he ensured to put lower. Following that came a stunningly slow walk from his porch to my car, as if it were a movie and I blinked, because once again, my time was inconsequential.

In moments like this, I lose and gain a travel partner. In my case, I always seem to have a pleasant and agreeable internecine passenger who balances me, while another part of myself rambling with no meaningful direction.

This is one of those moments when one of my passengers relentlessly dismantles the negative stereotypes cited in the previous lines.

During the entire ride, shedding these biases one by one by contradicting them.

With the door still open, he looks at all of us and I can guarantee that as part of one of his rehearsed tropes, smiles right before the step inside.

He spins around, entering with his back so he can sit down, then lifts both feet off the ground. Oddly enough, he has to bring them into my car. That’s an unusual sight and I only noticed it out of the corner of my eye.

That moment is the next thing that comes to mind, and the touch makes me think he's a lot different from what my biases suggested. He taps his shoes together to coalesce any excess dirt so he doesn't bring it into my car. Wow!

He is taking care of property that is total unknown to him. Not because I asked him to do it, but because that is what he chose for himself. No matter what any of us could see externally, in reality, he is a soft-hearted person, like me.

We didn't really converse at all for this trip, but he had me grinning the whole time.

There is kindness everywhere.

We simply need to give ourselves the opportunity to see it.