Lessons from Somewhere: October 2016

A couple of weeks ago, I was on my way to work. I had a rolling carry on bag as I was taking a train to DC that afternoon. I was heading out of the subway station, and felt the wheels of my bag catch on something. I looked down to discover I rolled over someone’s iPhone.

I picked it up and saw that it was the latest generation iPhone. The person had several texts messages, and apparently was running late to a meeting. I tried to unlock the phone with no luck.

Then an older man exited the turnstile. I must have looked puzzled as he stopped to speak to me.

“I rolled over this iPhone with my bag,” I said.

“I’m not sure how to use this thing,” he responded. I handed the phone to him anyways and he proceeded to try and unlock it too.

“I’m not sure how to get it back to the person,” I said. “I guess I could walk it to the service desk at the next station.”

“Is there a way to figure out the service provider? You could take it to their store.”

I’ll be honest. I was a little annoyed at this idea. I had a carry on that I didn’t want to roll down Broadway during the morning commute traffic. But then I checked that attitude. I could take an extra 10 minutes out of my morning to make someone’s day a little easier.

When I got to the AT&T store, the representative said they would be able to get it back to the owner based off of the sim card. So I handed the phone over and continued on with my morning.

From this story, I learned that it is easy to help a complete stranger, and that I wasn’t alone in the task. The older man stopped to help me trouble shoot (I don’t think I would have thought to take the phone to the AT&T store without him). I carried the phone to the carrier and the representative would take the time to return it to its owner. So that was three different people taking time to help someone they didn’t know.

In the wake of the election, I remembered this story. Now more than ever, we need to take the time to stop and listen. No matter which way you voted, we will not be able to move forward without acknowledging the joys, concerns and worries of those who think differently than we do. What we need to do now is practice empathy, to listen and to learn.

I urge you to consider this: what is one thing you can do today to work toward understanding the opposing side? For example, if you voted for our President-Elect Donald Trump, I urge you to take a moment to consider why Hillary Clinton’s supporters are scared. And conversely, if you voted for Clinton, you could take some time to learn why Trump’s supporters believe he is fit to lead.

I supported Clinton. This is difficult, but I believe in the power of kindness and empathy. Anger will only take us so far.

 

 

 

 

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