A matter of luck

It is finally time to bring this long series of posts to a close - a series that began as a presentation of two perspectives on life in the country, that was the initial theme, though it perhaps evolved into something much larger.

It is incredible how much a person can reveal about their life during a mere 3–4 kilometer car ride in the capital.
And so, as we talked about all this, we arrived at the barrier of the hospital I had to return to. The driver didn’t offer to take me all the way to the main entrance, as the other driver had a few days earlier, but I didn’t insist anyway. I felt a deep sense of compassion for the man after everything he had told me about himself, about his entire ruined life. Not that my own life wasn't ruined too, but when you listen to someone else’s hardships, you briefly forget your own.

He pulled the car over, so I could pay him and get out. Of course, someone immediately started honking behind us and shouting, a man even came over to argue with him, but the driver kept his cool and didn't get drawn into a confrontation right away, instead, he focused on the bill, taking the payment and handing back the change.
At the same time, he was muttering, as if to himself: "I can't stand the boorishness in this country."
"I can't either," I replied instinctively.
Because I, too, cannot stand the boorishness, rudeness, and aggression of the people here - things that have become the status quo, a way of life, a matter of survival.
This made me feel even more sympathy for the man, knowing full well how hard it is for him to live in this country - just as hard as it is for me.

Oh, right - I’d forgotten about that, since so many months have passed since that incident, even though it was actually the main reason I started this series of posts. During the conversation, I mentioned what the other taxi driver - a colleague of his at the same company - had told me about how much money a taxi driver in the capital earns. His immediate reaction was, "That’s nonsense, that guy lied to you."

So, taking into account everything this man told me about himself and his life, as well as this latest information, it is fitting to summarize by saying that within the span of three days, I met and spoke at length with two people in the same profession who told me two diametrically opposed stories. The first, lacking much formal education, expressed immense satisfaction with his life and the surrounding living conditions. The second, highly educated, had been through hell, and was still in it, like so many other thoughtful, rational, and intelligent people in this damned country.

And while in the days following my conversation with the previous driver I used to ask myself what was wrong with me, I have now stopped asking that question. There was nothing wrong with me or my perceptions. I simply belonged to the group of people who lead very difficult lives.

As for the previous driver - he was either mad (because his ramblings certainly sounded like the ravings of a madman, not the ones of the second man, as I wrote misleadingly the previous time), and I can tell you that a person can indeed go mad from the misfortunes that befall them), or he had simply been lucky enough in life to experience the kind of good fortune he spoke of so openly. Or perhaps he was simply lucky in one aspect of his life, having money, yet unlucky in another - he was divorced and struggled with the loneliness of not being able to find a life partner. This is a recurring theme I observe in the lives of people I know or meet: they find happiness in one area while suffering in another. And we have this saying here: "God has given, and God has taken away."

Of course, I can only reflect on all of this now, so many months later, as I sit down to write, and also prompted by comments on one of the posts in this series - they gave me a fresh perspective and helped me view the situation from a different angle, and without the intense emotions I felt when those conversations actually took place.

Perhaps there was nothing wrong with anyone, perhaps the experiences and feelings of each of these people, myself included, were valid and real. They are simply three different destinies. The only thing that isn't valid is to claim, intolerant of any other view, that because your life is a certain way, it must be that way for everyone else, period - no other possibilities, no variations.

So, am I not taking the same approach, I ask myself now, when I say that life here is very hard? 🤔 Well, it isn’t hard for those who have come to view hardship not as a difficulty, but as the only possible way of life. And it isn’t hard for the lucky ones. Such people do exist. And there are likely quite a few of them here.

Thank you for your time! Copyright:	@soulsdetour
	Soul's Detour is a project started by me years ago when I had a blog about historical and not so popular tourist destinations in Eastern Belgium, West Germany and Luxembourg. Nowadays, this blog no longer exists, but I'm still here - passionate about architecture, art and mysteries and eager to share my discoveries and point of view with you.

Personally, I am a sensitive soul with a strong sense of justice.
Traveling and photography are my greatest passions.
Sounds trivial to you?
No, it's not trivial. Because I still love to travel to not so famous destinations.🗺️
Of course, the current situation does not allow me to do this, but I still find a way to satisfy my hunger for knowledge, new places, beauty and art.
Sometimes you can find the most amazing things even in the backyard of your house.😊🧐🧭|