Buddha in the traffic

 

 

AI generated

Daily lessons from Uber Drivers

We live our lives in constant motion—rushing between meetings, chasing deadlines, navigating unfamiliar cities. Yet sometimes, profound moments of human connection find us in the most unexpected places: the front seat of an Uber.

Having used uber in 7 countries, many stories were exchanged and recalling three such stories about ordinary drivers who offered extraordinary generosity, reminding me that wisdom and kindness come from people who pay attention and choose to make someone's day a little better.

The Anniversary I Almost Forgot

It started like any other frantic Bengaluru morning. After a late night at work, I was rushing to the office. The Uber driver was chatty, and so was I.

Then, mid-sentence, I trailed off. It hit me suddenly: today was the anniversary of a loved one's passing. 10 a.m., buried under rush hour traffic and morning meetings. I had forgotten.

The driver noticed immediately. "Everything okay?"

When I explained, he offered something I didn't know I needed: permission.

"Don't be harsh on yourself," he said. "It's okay to sometimes forget these things in the rat race. But what matters is that when you remember, you give the memory the respect it deserves."

Here was someone who understood that grief doesn't follow our calendars, that remembering isn't about perfection, but about honouring what matters when we can. That conversation gave me permission to be human.

The Driver Who Came Back

Bengaluru’s busy localities are chaotic—jostling crowds, labyrinthine lanes, phantom addresses. I found myself dropped off in one such area, dressed in formals, clearly lost.

A few minutes into my desperate search, a familiar car pulled up. The same Uber driver who had just dropped me off.

"No worries," he said with a smile. "I'm here to help you."

He got out, navigated the chaos with me, and helped me find the place. In a city where time equals money for a driver, here was someone who chose to stop.

When I asked why, his answer was simple: "You looked very focused, dressed in formals. I could see you had somewhere important to be. I had to help you reach your destination."

Then he added: "Sometimes the universe helps you if you know where you want to go."

When we move through the world with purpose, help often appears in unexpected forms—sometimes from people who owe us nothing but choose to give anyway.

Pay It Forward: A Lesson from Abroad

Traveling in an unfamiliar American city, I was feeling the vulnerability that comes with being far from home. When the map took us to the wrong place twice, I was getting anxious.

But my driver didn't give up. He hacked the navigation, used local knowledge, and got creative until we found the right place.

When I thanked him, he said something that made the moment even more meaningful: "You're Indian, right? India recently helped my country in a significant way. I wanted to thank an Indian for that help."

Here was someone who saw beyond the transaction to a larger web of human connection and mutual support between nations and people.

What These Strangers Taught Me

These three drivers saw beyond the transaction. They noticed when something was wrong. They went out of their way when they didn't have to.

In a world that often feels rushed and impersonal, these encounters reminded me that generosity isn't about grand gestures. It's about paying attention, choosing kindness when no one's keeping score, and seeing the person in front of you as worthy of your time and care.

The Bengaluru driver taught me self-compassion. The driver who came back taught me about purposeful action. The American driver taught me about gratitude that transcends borders.

These weren't life coaches or motivational speakers. They were people doing their jobs who chose to be more human than the algorithm demanded.

So here's to the those who remind us that wisdom can come from unexpected sources, that generosity costs nothing but means everything, and that sometimes the most important destination isn't a pin on a map—it's the connection we make along the way.