The taxi ride that shattered my worldview

Louis (not his real name) was the 50-something Haitian cab-driver who picked me up from O'Hare Int'tl Airport and drove me to my sister's house.

I'm a chatty sort and because we were stuck in traffic, I started asking Louis questions.

Louis works 16 hour days, 7 days a week. He has five children. He came to the United States from Haiti twelve years ago--by himself. He worked hard for seven years before bringing all his children to Chicago.

His children arrived not speaking a word of English. Five years later, they speak it fluently and his eldest child was accepted to a prestigious Illinois university.

Louis used to work at a higher paying job, but he was laid off when the economy went bad. Now he works as a cab driver which he says is not a great job because people are trying to save money by taking buses or trains.

I asked Louis what he does for fun--which I immediately realized was the lamest question ever. He just sorta looked at me in the rearview mirror and shook his head.

"There is no fun," he said. "No vacation. No holidays. Just work and sleep."

I think it was at that moment I realized how sheltered, how privileged, how insanely oblivious I am to the world outside my little stay-at-home-mom bubble.

"Do you at least take Christmas day off?" I asked, weakly.

"No," he said. "If I park the car, that's money I'm losing."

Louis' dream in life is to give his children the possibility of a better life. He said he plans on working 16 hour days for the next 10 years and then going back home to Haiti when his youngest child is 19.

And then, somehow, we were talking about religion and God. It was a natural segue, really. Louis knows a little something about sacrifice and selfless love.

"I don't go to church anymore," he admitted. "But I do keep the faith!"

I was amazed--and ashamed of myself. For some reason, I had expected Louis to be an atheist--or at least an agnostic. I mean, how could someone who enjoys so few of life's joys believe in a benevolent God?

But no. Louis was downright cheerful about his intact belief system.

Sometimes I think I've gone through a lot when it comes to crises of faith. But would I still "keep the faith" if I had to work 16 hour days, 7 days a week?

Would the one single hope of making a better life for my children be enough for me?

Honestly, it was a pretty convicting taxi ride.

A few moments later we arrived at my sister's house. Louis pulled my suitcase out of the trunk of his cab.

I thanked him profusely. And then I tipped him generously. 

It was my way of saying thank you for a safe ride. And also for being the finest example of sacrificial love and genuine faith that I've met in a very long while.

Comments

[Priscilla]

Wow, what a moving story.

[Kimberly]

Sounds like an amazing man.

[Jennifer (Conversion Diary)]

Wow, amazing story. I went to Fiji as part of a cultural trip when I was 18, and we went to visit the locals to see how they lived. Many of them labored for 18 hours on sugar cane plantations to make a few bucks per day. We went to the villages where they lived and most of their "houses" were just ramshackle boxes, many of them without permanent doors. Most didn't have furniture.

What shocked me was their joy. They could not stop talking about their love of the "Good News" as they put it. I was an atheist and actually didn't know what they were talking about until they specifically started mentioning Jesus' name. I couldn't figure it out: they were dirt poor, and didn't even have hope of their children having better lives. And yet they were filled with joy, and this religion of their seemed to have something to do with it. I thought about them for a long time afterwards.

[Heather of the EO]

Elizabeth,
I can relate to this so deeply. I had a similar light bulb moment where I finally understood these very same things more fully. I worked in a Mexican restaurant, and getting to know the men in the kitchen, who worked 12-16 hours 7 days a week and sent all the money home to their families in Mexico truly opened my eyes. They worked and slept and that's all they did. Talking with them about God was always so amazing to me, such a gift.

Love this post.

[CM]

Then there's me. I worked some extra hours the last couple of weeks (10 hour days), and whine about it. And that's only during the work week. I still have weekends. I can't imagine 16 hour days 7 days a week for 10 years!

[Fr. Christian Mathis]

Thanks for sharing this Elizabeth.

In my two trips to Haiti I met many people who would have been thankful to have any job that would support their family. We all need a reminder here and again of how blessed we are!

[Rachel]

Wow....glad you shared this. Sometimes it's necessary to be reminded how good we have it. Great post.

[Kacie]

Oh my goodness, I always have the most amazing conversations with cab drivers in Chicago (except for the two conservative Muslims that wouldn't speak to me - only Isaac).

Once I talked to an Egyptian man that was sending money home to his wife and kids. He said he had to stay to make money, but that he would never bring his kids here after watching American kids. He never wanted them to ever wear similar clothes, act so irresponsibly....
I couldn't blame him.

Another man from the Middle East got to talking religion with me. He and I both talked about our passion for our faith - and then as we talked about reading scripture and he pulled out his pocket Koran at the same time as I pulled out my pocket Bible. Both of us read every day, both of us got teary as we talked about our faith and our God. He pointedly told me he believed that I was wrong, though he respected my passion. I told him I felt the same way.

When I got out of the cab I felt such mixed emotions!

[Heather]

Thanks for sharing this story, EE. We all need this reminder and reality check occasionally. I think the experience broadened your (and my)world view too.

I have had the opportunity to go on a few mission trips outside of the US and learned to be thankful for a small bedroom with a bed and a dresser (at my poorest), especially because that is FAR MORE than what most people have. Now I have more than that and I try to be thankful everyday for these things. Even taking a shower on a daily basis is something I try to remain thankful for.

[Susan]

He reminds me of Aldair, a man I used to work with in the ER who was from Haiti. Aldair was a tech, meaning he did blood draws and bedpans. When he was finished with the night shift in the ER, he went to work parking cars. I think he had a 3rd job on the weekends, so he could support his family. He always, always had a smile on his face.

I'm having a hard time with faith tonight. I wonder how someone who's gone through so much can still love the Lord. I wonder how come there are so many people who think they love the Lord, or maybe DO love the Lord but have hate and ignorance in their heart. How can a person do some good, but some bad, too? I'm all confused, but your post has helped a little with some perspective, so thanks.

[Reid Klos]

@Kacie - I'm proud to see that you were open enough to share your beliefs and to receive another's view. As Christians we can be so close-minded. sometimes the passion is all people need to see in order to get a glimpse of Christ. Abraham lived his life in that manner and it drew people to him. May God continue to bless you and keep your passion burning.

@Elizabeth Ha! yet again, you've hit a nerve and got us all thinking about the sometimes dilapidated prosperity of Americans - believers and non believers alike. I read a book this summer by K.P. Yohannan titled "Revolution in World Missions," and it picked me up, spun me around, and slammed me. How could I live so "extravagantly" when some believers in India don't even have a church to worship in within a 20 mile radius. And they still walk to service! Granted I didn't sell all I have, but I have cut back on a lot in order to send a little relief to our "family" outside of the USA just to say thanks to God for His tender mercies.