Random Musings

For over a decade I have been interested in self empowerment. I have taken many steps on the path to self improvement and enlightenment. There have been multiple workshops attended and dozens of books read. And there have been massive improvements in my way of being. But it is a never ending journey. There is always more work ahead. Sometimes though, I have trouble remembering the way I used to be.

I recognize certain patterns and behaviors in people, things that I find  horribly inefficient or just plain not useful at all. And I find myself wondering if I ever did those things. I watch what is going on and can see why the person is doing what they are doing even though it just seems so stupid to me.  My tendency is to put myself in their place and to think about how I would act and react under similar circumstances.

In some ways I think I have nearly always been more advanced than those around me, especially people my own age.  I do have a fairly high IQ and do not like making the same mistakes over and over. Many people learn from their own mistakes. I do too. But, I have found that it can be much more efficient to learn from the mistakes that you watch other people make.  If you go to places where there are lots of people, all the time, like malls or convention centers you can watch dozens or even hundreds of people all around you and learn from the mistakes they make without ever needing to do the things that they do.

I was out with a friend today at a local fast food establishment. He and I were in the line together. He ordered and paid for his food. A solid ten minutes passed by before the cashier took my order. And I was the very next person in line behind my friend.

While we were waiting for our food there were more people in line behind us waiting to order. The cashier was taking one order at a time, waiting for the food and drink to be completely prepared for each order before taking another.  She did not know where anything was on the register and had to call someone over several times to show her. The restaurant was not that busy. In the nearly 30 minutes it took my friend and I to order, pay for and receive our food, only about five customers were serviced at the counter.  The cashier was just standing there after each order looking at the people who were preparing the food and waiting for them to hand it to her before turning around and handing it to the customer.

I have worked fast food before and even managed, so I know all of the things that she should have been doing. She had plenty of time to make sure that things like condiments, straws, cups and to go bags were fully stocked. She could have taken an extra moment or two to memorize the location of one of the items that she had had trouble finding on the register. She should have apologized for the wait and let us know that our food was coming soon. She could have engaged in polite conversation to make the wait seem less long. There was also plenty of time to wipe down the counters.  AND she could have taken all of the other orders, so that it was obvious that the hold up was not her fault.  It is obvious that she does not have a complete concept of how the whole operation works.  There is almost never nothing to do in the food service business. Standing still is not supposed to happen. There is always something that you can do to make the process go smoother for the customer, even if it means offering to help someone with something that is not strictly "your job".

I could tell she believed she was doing her best though. So I didn't complain. It is difficult for me to tell, without knowing them better,  when someone is ignorant due to being new, incompetent because they simply don't care or is actually too stupid to be taught. I also find myself wondering if she is a person of average  intelligence. Is standing around waiting for others to make things happen the average thing to do?