Recently, I was flown to Arizona for a job interview. The short trip and interview went well. I was impressed with the organization of the company, its employees, and Arizona on the whole. Although, travel is somewhat humdrum to me, with one exception. Meeting new, strange people is an experience like none other, and airplane travel nearly forces a person to do so.
The Beatnik: I found my aisle seat upon boarding the SkyWest Delta connection flight from Salt Lake City to Phoenix. To my wondrous surprise, I was greeted by a beatnik. Surely, he was born a few generations after the Beat Generation, but a beatnik he was indeed. His hair was rowdy and dirty and found its way onto my shoulder and arm on several occasions. His voice was soft enough to save every whale on the planet. His knowledge, a little outdated, he openly shared. He displayed his mp3 player with pride, a Microsoft Zune.
"I am a supporter of non-iPod mp3 players, and the Zune may be the best on the market," I said. He started spitting numbers, prices, and comparative data in my direction. Patiently, I awaited my turn, then, explained I had worked for a large media research company and had conducted a professional comparison of the two devices. For the first time, his mouth was visible through his curly, peanut-filled beard, he smiled. I listened to him tout the Zune the entire duration of the flight. We landed and he wished me a sincere good-bye.
Alim: The company for which I was interviewing was kind enough to pay for a rental car or taxi service. I chose the taxi. After the interview, I had several hours at my expense. I called a cab to drive me to Tempe in order to meet up with a friend. I waited on the curb and Alim picked me up. "Take me to this address, please," I said as I showed him a text message on my phone. He agreed. We discussed basketball, children, immigration, politics, employment, and life. Alim, an African-American from Los Angeles, is a father to an eighteen-year-old military man. He played collegiate basketball, drives a cab part-time, and was recently divorced. On the way to my destination, Alim found himself lost. He made me aware, knowing that I was a complete stranger to the area, and deliberately stopped the meter.
Finally, we arrived and Alim agreed to pick me up two hours later in order to drive me to the airport. He trusted me with his personal cell number, and sure enough, he picked me up promptly after the call. On this ride, he shared with me the following story:
I learned my lesson of honesty years back. Getting ahead in life isn't about money or prestige, it's integrity. I was driving a cab one day and the guy in the back left his wallet. I took the wallet to the police, but I took the $150 and told them I had found it on the street. Three months later, I was on a bus on my way to workout. It was hot. I took off my hat and put my keys and wallet in it. I stepped off the bus without my hat, keys, and wallet. So, of course, I tried stop the bus. It didn't work, so I jumped in a cab and said, "I'll give you twenty bucks to drive and stop in front of that bus when it makes the next stop." Long story short, I waited for the passengers of the bus to step off before I stepped on. I found my hat, keys, and wallet ... less my $500 in rent money. I wasn't mad, I didn't curse. God taught me a lesson, and I learned it.
Which is greater: the man in a taxi on his way to an important board meeting or the taxi driver? It is difficult to appreciate in a world so full of depreciation, but it is possible. In fact, it is necessary. Flannery O'Connor was right, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, but I found two in the most unlikely of places.
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