In the hierarchy of happiness

I was one of those people who would get into cabs and immediately plug in their earphones, shutting out any attempts at conversation on the part of the driver and any other passengers. Till one day, a persistent cabbie ranted out to me over the din of my earphones:

"All you IT people are the same. You get in and you plug in your earphones.Why don't you people speak to us drivers? I do this for a living, and I feel less and less like a human being. Most of my passengers pretend I don't exist, and by my tenth ride of the day, I start feeling invisible. It's bad enough that I have to drive in this traffic all day long, and to add to it people have forgotten what it is to have a decent conversation. Please talk to your drivers, Ma'am. I'm not asking you to talk the whole way. Just a few minutes to acknowledge our presence. It will make us feel very happy."

This guy made a lasting impression on me, and since that day I have always tried to talk to whoever is driving.

I was really frustrated yesterday because I had a hundred things to do, and time just seemed to be flying. It was afternoon before I knew it, and I was feeling like I was running to catch up with time itself. And that is a race I can never win. I wanted to read a book, I wanted to write,I had plans to go out, I had to catch up with a few people on the phone, I had a little work pending...There was so much on my weekend agenda and so little time. I had to head out in the middle though, and I got into the cab thinking how unfair it was that I got so little time for all my hobbies.

I asked the cab guy, "So you're working today too? When do you take leave? Sunday?"

He says to me without batting an eyelid, "I work in a company from Monday to Friday. This is my second job. I do it on Saturday and Sunday."

My throat choked up. Here I was cribbing about leisure time, and this guy was working every single day of the week. I was so isolated from the real world that I had forgotten what it is to have real problems. Mind you, I do have problems, but my problems are all what you'd call first world problems. But this, this was real struggle. Struggle to make ends meet. I did not ask him a word after that. I was upset that there was so little I could do.

In the evening, I booked a ride back home, and the driver was a very amicable person. One of those people who tell you their entire life story voluntarily.

I asked him, So how do you find this job?

He says, "It pays the bills, Ma'am. But it is hard to maintain in the long run"

"Is it?"

"Yeah, I drive from 4pm to 4am. My health is slowly declining. And I barely see my kids. They are asleep when I come back, and I am gone before they get home from school. My wife is perenially upset with me, and she keeps asking me to change jobs."

"But why do you work the night shift? You could work in the mornings, and all these problems would be solved."

"The company has incentives Ma'am. They give you that only if you complete 90 rides in a week. And if I drive in the morning, it is peak hour traffic till 11 an I can barely complete 4 rides. Then till 4pm there aren't many people who travel and I find it tough to get rides. I can't meet those targets Ma'am. And I've taken a loan for this car which I'm repaying. Also, my two kids are in school and their fees is in lakhs per year."

Again, I was struck by his sheer helplessness. He was working himself to the ground just to provide for a family. 

"4pm to 4am huh? Are you used to it?"

"Yes, I am. I used to work night shifts in my previous company too. I worked there for 12 years, Ma;am, but they were still paying me only 25,000pm. That isn't enough for a life in Bangalore. So I started this. Earlier, it used to be nice. I used to drive without fear till 4am. These days there are a lot of thieves and dacoits. And we don't even know the drop location in advance Ma'am. It sometimes ends up being in some remote area, and I get really scared waiting for the next ride. And if we cancel, our ratings go down. It's not a safe job anymore.I'm 39 already, and I'm not sure how long I can keep doing this. I already have a lot of health issues."

I had nothing to say. "Just a few more years, till your kids grow up. After that they will start earning, and your problems will be gone" The lame comfort that everyone gives, when in reality that does not make a difference at all. You still have to struggle for those years.

He smiles and says " Yes, that is true. I have a few business ideas. I have already tried out few things, and I have more plans" He outlines a few, and I listen.

I thanked him and got down, praying that this soul would find an easier way to feed his family somehow.

Look at that pyramid. Where are you placed? And imagine what it feels to be on the base of it, where everything else is obscured by the barest of needs. I'm not trying to belittle your problems, I'm sure they are equally daunting to you. But always remember the pyramid, and once in a while, thank your stars that you are already blessed with everything on the lower levels. And be kind to those who aren't. Say a prayer for them.:)