World Expo-sure

If you’ve ever seen the movie "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," then you know that this movie is all about beautiful cars with maximum speed. Well, in Shanghai, it’s not about how pretty the vehicle is, but it’s definitely about who can move the fastest. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful cars all over the place (I’ve seen plenty of Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, etc. cars/SUVs), but beauty is not required to get into this game. From motorized bicycles to motorcycles to cars, one should drive in Shanghai at their own risk. It’s really amazing! All you hear when you’re near a roadway is horns honking because these folks have places to go and people to see! And even if they don’t, they want you out of their way.

Take for instance this past Thursday. I was walking to work, minding my own business, enjoying the scenery, and then all of a sudden…WHAM!!! This guy gets hit by a bicycle (I know you thought I was going to say that I got hit by something, but that was just for effect). The bicycle is being steered by an older gentleman with a young lady sitting side saddle. I think I might have frozen for a moment, and then when I came back I just watched in awe (trying not to stare) because I wanted to see how the parties would handle the collision.

As a concurrent public service and law student, I have to tell you that there my mind was going like a thousand miles a minute as I witnessed what to me was kind of a big deal. I felt a little like I had multiple personalities for a minute, but I got over it. The public servant in me wanted to assess the needs of both parties (Dr. Bavon taught me that), assist both parties in realizing that this was a bifurcation point that would have an afterlife (props to Dr. Standerfer and Dean Hemphill), and then encourage the men to open their minds to the true possibilities that could come from this incident (I was listening, Dr. Singhal). And then there was the lawyer in me. She immediately started thinking about damages that could be proven for the plaintiff, jurisdictional issues, possible defenses, billable hours, etc. To my surprise, these views would be reconciled in a matter of seconds as the driver and victim really didn’t even acknowledge each other; they just moved on about their business as if nothing had happened. It was amazing to me that what would have been seen as a problem that needed special attention or a lawsuit was shrugged off like water off of a duck’s back.

Trenia’s Finale:
A man by the name of James Allen once stated, "Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him." After reading this quote, my mind immediately turned to the bicycle accident that I mentioned earlier. I firmly believe the truth of this statement can be seen in the reaction of the “victim” of the accident. While he could have reacted with anger or made a huge deal out of the incident, he didn’t. He simply walked away. For me his actions showed him to be a peaceful individual who really doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Although some would argue that he was crazy or even a push over, in the grand scheme of things, he was fine and chose to focus his energies on reaching his destination. He wasted no time on a situation that wasn’t worth his time. I ask you (and me) what do our reactions to the circumstances of life reveal about us?

Welcome to my world…expo-sure!!!