A Story About Perspective
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A Story About Perspective

Three people meet on the New York subway.

1998
A Story About Perspective
Pexels

Perspective has been a recurring theme throughout my years in higher education. Many of the world’s problems could be solved with perspective and humility from one side or both. A lot of arguments get out of hand simply because one side fails to see it from the other’s point of view. Here is a story to illustrate this problem.

Beneath the bustling city of New York lies an elaborate maze of tunnels that make up the iconic and somewhat infamous New York City Subway. More than 5 million people ride the subway every day, making it the busiest underground train system in the western hemisphere. One day in particular, just after the evening rush, three New Yorkers met one another for the first time in a subway car.

The train was filling up as a man sighed deeply as he sat gingerly on the last remaining seat that was available on the train. He was tall, strong, and wearing athletic clothing that looked new. His short hair was quickly drying after a sweaty evening workout. Just seconds after sitting down, the runner was approached by a short young man in dirty, blue overalls. The gentleman is no older than 25 but looked weary, as though he has lived more than his years would suggest. The worker approached the runner,

“Hey, listen, I know I don’t look like it, but I could really use a seat, and you look like you have the energy to give it up.”

The runner gave a look of disgust just before scanning the rest of the train for other seats that looked equally qualified for the worker to take.

“Sorry, dude. I’m training for a race and I really can’t afford to be on my feet any more than I have to.”

By this point the train had arrived at another station and the car was quickly filling up. A well-dressed middle-aged businesswoman squeezed through the doors and through the crowd of people to find herself face to face with the worker and the runner in a discussion that was getting more and more heated. She decided to add her own opinion on the topic.

“If anyone in this car deserves the seat it’s me. Get up.”

The runner and the worker exchanged looks of indignation and surprise and after a brief pause the runner said, “Excuse me?”

“Neither of you need to sit down.” The businesswoman continued, “I’m sure you’re both young enough to be able to stand for a few more minutes and, believe me, I need that seat.”

“You don’t understa – “

But before the worker could finish, the train jolted to a halt. All standing passengers were thrown into each other and all seated passengers found themselves suddenly well-acquainted with the seat in front of them.

The silence in throughout the car was palpable at first. Only for a moment, but each passenger could feel the fear in those seated beside them. The silence was then quickly replaced with a few screams and a sudden build in conversation as the feeling of claustrophobia settled in. It was not uncommon for the subway to come to a halt between stops, but to do so at such a great speed was not at all typical. The chatter in the subway car grew to a point where it became uncomfortably loud until the worker heard the faint sound of the unintelligible intercom system. As soon as he heard it he yelled out to the crowd of panicked New Yorkers to try to get some information out of the announcement. The group slowly became quiet just in time to hear the announcer say the following:

“Once again, the train has derailed. We have no choice but to evacuate all riders. Please be cautious as you exit the train car and follow signs to the nearest exit. Above all else, remain calm.”

As if to taunt the announcer, as soon as the click of the intercom signaled the end of the transmission the subway car erupted into screams of fear with just three people looking calm amongst the chaos. The businesswoman, the worker, and the runner each looked at each other. The businesswoman broke the silence by elegantly yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Thank you for your attention.” She said as the crowd turned to her, “I know this isn’t ideal, but there’s only one way we’re going to be able to get out. The conductor will have contacted the stations on either side of us so we won’t be in any kind of danger. Let’s find a way to get out of the car and go from there.”

Whispers went around the car as the riders began to look for the best possible way to exit. After a couple minutes of searching, one rider found an escape route that was now at the top of the car. It was going to be difficult to get to in the first place, climbing out would be even harder. The runner volunteered his strength as a method to help other passengers out. Soon the runner was lifting each and every passenger that required assistance out of the car, including the businesswoman and the worker who both thanked him as they were lifted out.

As the businesswoman was lifted out of the train car she noticed a tattoo that had been revealed on the runner’s arm that simply said ‘Work Harder’. As they gathered themselves on top of the subway car she decided to inquire:

“I like the message on your arm. Where does it come from?”

The runner gave a sheepish smile, but he gave his reply with pride.

“My dad was a runner. I was a lazy kid. He always told me to work harder but I just sat around and ignored him. Last year he passed away and I was left with the message he instilled in me over the years. I’m running my second marathon in honor of him in two days.”

It was the businesswoman’s turn to look sheepish, ““I’m so sorry for your loss. I wish you the best of luck in your race,” she said. It was all she could muster. Meanwhile the worker was looking like he was reconsidering the actions of his whole life. He did so to such an extent that the following question jolted him out of his introspection.

“Are you okay?” Asked the runner.

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re limping pretty badly. Did you get hurt from the crash?”

The group of trapped passengers had all managed to escape from the train and were now making their way along the narrow passageway beside the train toward what they assumed to be the next station. Beyond the introspection of the businesswoman and the worker, other passengers were having conversations that ranged from being about the inconvenience of the incident to the success that the Yankees were having. It’s worth mentioning that the group had only moved about a hundred feet since escaping the train.

“No, I’ve had bad feet since I was a kid. I work in the sewers all day so I’m always on my feet. As soon as I’m done working I try to stay off my feet so they don’t hurt for the next day but that’s been hard in the last few days,” the worker talked like it was normal. He could have been talking about the weather. “The doctors say that I should have surgery but there’s no way I can afford that with the pay I’m getting. Ah well. Maybe someday.”

Both the businesswoman and the runner gave their sympathies as they rethought their actions from the day. After thinking for a moment, the runner even offered to carry the worker to the next station but the worker declined. The large procession traveled for a long time with its leaders, the worker, the businesswoman, and the runner, leading the charge. During the walk, the businesswoman became curious of the worker’s job.

“It must be hard working in the sewers all day. Do you ever wish you did something else?”

“Yeah, sometimes. But it has its perks. Most people in this city spend their time in a loud place. I get to work somewhere that’s nice a quiet. My hearing is certainly better than most, I can tell you that.”

The businesswoman thought about that. If the worker hadn’t have been there, who knows how long they would have been in that train. No one else would have heard the intercom.

The tunnel came to a long straight portion where a small amount of light shone through. It was clear that it was only a little bit further until they reached the end. The three leaders filled the remaining time in the tunnel with small talk. It was a nice change of pace after all the suddenly serious information had come out about two of the three. Just before they got to the end of the tunnel they were stopped by a man in a police uniform. As the procession came to a halt, there were murmurs throughout the tunnel.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow anyone to leave before we finish a report on the scene,” the officer said in a voice that carried throughout the otherwise empty station.

This news was met with hundreds of shouts and groans. The runner looked nervous and the worker hung his head in defeat. After observing these reactions, the businesswoman decided to take it upon herself to deal with the situation.

“Excuse me, but my friends here both need to go. I can vouch for them and give you their information.”

The police officer didn’t look convinced. He denied her any special treatment and turned away. The businesswoman responded with a look of determination as she proceeded to approach the officer and deliver a clear argument for why the runner and the worker should be allowed to leave the scene. The officer’s expression changed entirely. With this change of heart, the officer released the runner and the worker who responded with gratitude and looks of surprise. Before leaving, the two young men spoke thanked the businesswoman and asked how she acquired such skill in persuasion. The businesswoman was hesitant to reply at first, but she soon revealed the truth.

“It’s my job. I need to persuade organizations around the world to do what I want them to do. I’m glad you appreciate what I do because it doesn’t seem like my company does. They might be letting me go next week.”

The worker and the runner did not need to exchange glances to understand what it felt like to hear this news from another stranger; they had both experienced the same feeling once before that day. In the end they shared words of encouragement with the businesswoman before thanking her again and then leaving the station feeling more humble than ever before. In fact, all three individuals found themselves feeling humbled by the whole experience in the coming days, leading them to reconsider many of their everyday actions in the hopes that one day the rest of the world would follow their lead.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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