Other stuff

People keep asking if this blog is going to be about anything other than politics. I keep saying yes, but there has been a lot going on that is too interesting not to comment on. However, in the spirit of talking about other stuff, I wanted to comment on a brief moment on a perfect Sunday in Manhattan. I was headed toward the Lincoln Tunnel trying to make a right turn onto 29th street, when a cabbie yielded and let me change lanes and make the turn. Anyone who knows me knows I have a distaste, yea, even disdain, for NYC cab drivers. While I like taking the occasional cab, and know that driving a cab is a good way to make money, the bulk of the cab drivers take the honesty out of it. There is the aggressive, often illegal driving. The combative attitude, the refusal of service, and the ever popular, taking you 5 blocks out of the way with the oh, I-thought-you-said-Lexington) excuse. While most rides go off without a hitch, being someone who drives in NYC, it gets infuriating being honked at for no reason, being constantly cut off, and being pushed off the road and cursed at as they drive past. It is a true test of one's religion to share the road with a group of people who have no respect for the law and treat every dollar as a matter of life and death.

So for a brief moment yesterday I had to let go of my perpetual indignation a cabbies. I'm not sure what it is about being behind the wheel of a car in this town that brings out the worst in people, including myself. More than once my wife has looked at me like"who are you" when try to maneuver the car to make sure a cab doesn't get in front of me, or start yelling at the guy who cuts across three lanes of traffic and stops dead in my lane to pick up a fare. I mean, pulling alongside, rolling down the window and spewing all manner of derision on his parentage and conditions of birth. I'm convinced that a lot of tests of faith, character, and integrity occur in small ways. Most of us will never face execution or martyrdom for our beliefs. Not that I know the future of anything, but at the moment we live in a wealthy, safe, and free society. But everyday we are faced with small decisions on how we are going to treat and react to people. I guess my cross to bear is to yield to people in traffic and not call 311 to file a complaint every time a cabbie breaks the law. After living in New York for a while, I've discovered that most people will go to the nth degree to keep from getting taken advantage of, no matter how small the perceived harm is. I think this is where the reputation of New York being a rude place stems from. You learn very quickly that there are a lot of people in this town who will do anything to make a buck, including lie and take advantage of people's faith and good nature, so there is a constant tension between those trying to get over and those trying not to get taken. I'm not sure what the solution to this is, or even if there is one. I do know for myself that part of being in a position of receiving grace is the ability to extend it to people who you don't think deserve it. Of course, if a person deserves it, it isn't really grace. I guess the best thing to do is drive defensively and yield to people who cut the line at the tunnel toll booth.