Talking About What Matters: Cab Drivers at Brain State 4

20 years ago, I was visiting friends in New York, friends who I used to go running with along the Marina Green in San Francisco, a quick run after work or first thing in the morning. Mary Ellen and Wayne moved to the lower west side of Manhattan and at that first visit, we all jammed into the taxi and headed up to Central Park to a posh brunch spot. It was all so gentile, except that as soon as we got into the cab the hollering began: about what street to take, how to avoid traffic, and when to turn on to a side street vs. letting it go and sitting in traffic, with the meter running.

With my visit to New York this week, it was the same, except less hollering but definitely intense negotiating. We hopped into the cab and it started. What street to take, and when to turn. It soon occurred to me that we were talking Brain State 4 here, definitely stressed. This was their survival drive kicking in, because fares vary a lot depending upon the route. Without others in the taxi, my ignorance is bliss. I don't know what the best route is, so there's not need to argue it. Instead I usually grill the taxi driver about his 1) children, 2) country of origin, 3) food habits, and 4) Obama views.

Again, ignorance is bliss!