Taxi Driver Wisdom
Taxi drivers, we see them everyday and can regard them as any other day-to-day worker. However, more than likely, society generally thinks of them negatively. For example, there are commentaries that recommend being careful when riding cabs, especially at night, because cabbies can easily seize the belongings of their passengers by murdering them or letting them faint through a chemical mixed with the airconditioner. Therefore, whenever I see passengers seat themselves at the back, it doesn't take much for me to recognize that the reason they do that is to monitor all the moves the driver makes. Furthermore, not only do I think that cabbies have the potential to be dangerous, but they can be quite such opportunists. I have learned of news extras on TV and newspapers of a number of people complaining about taxi drivers who take advantage of the belongings their passengers have mistakenly left, even if these purses, laptops or file envelopes have contact information. In addition, many cab operators violate their responsibility to ensure fair and proper service to passengers. To illustrate, when my group of friends tried to hail taxi cabs early in the night in order to go from Ortigas to Libis, the cabbies whom we encountered ei
Atypical as these types of dialogues are, these compelled me to think how it is that these cabbies are able to relate with their passengers. Given the job nature of a cabbie, it seems that he is in a position to observe and strike a conversation with nearly any kind of commuter, regardless of origin. It wouldn't be surprising that the taxi driver may be a combination of social commentator, psychologist and political analyst. He may encounter students like me, stressed-out office workers, tourists, half-drunken delinquents or traveling salesmen. Taxi drivers can subsequently gain their own understanding and insight over time by talking to these people, themselves varied in their perspectives and values. As time goes on, the cabbie collects these experiences then tries to make a sense of them in order to find pieces of "universal truths." Perhaps it could be said that the wisdom taxi drivers gain isn't that different from that of anyone else. That was the notion that I had of taxi drivers until I held a conversation with one of them. Late in my 4th yr. high school life, I decided to come back home from school by hiring a cab. I stood in front of the Ateneo campus and waved for a vacant taxi. Once I seated at the rear, I kept silent and looked at the driver's ID to verify the cabbie. The middle-aged man had a dark complexion, typical of any other taxi driver I have seen. Then about five minutes into our trip, the man caught my eye in the rearview mirror and in the breakage of silence, asked me what course I was taking in the Ateneo. I, with a hint of hesitation, replied that I was still an incoming freshman for I was still a senior high school student. After a pause, the man asked me the course I was planning to take up in college, as if he ought to ask. I said, "Computer Science." He replied by saying it was a witty choice for graduates of such a course were of high demand. I then listened to him say that he wanted his sons and daughters to study at the STI computer college,
Some common words found in the essay are:
Computer Science, Ortigas Libis, , Taxi Ride, taxi drivers, taxi driver, cab operators, school student, belongings passengers,
Approximate Word count = 1346
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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