“Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood” —Stephen Covey
You’ve seen those signs on the interstate that read “State Law: Slower Traffic Keep Right”? You know what those signs mean?
Absolutely nothing. At least not to the majority of truckers.
Having spent hundreds of hours griping about trucks who clog up the left lane driving 15-20 mph under the speed limit, I decided to put Covey’s maxim into place by attempting to understand what this might look like from the perspective of a truck driver. So I read Ed Miller’s book “A Trucker’s Tale: Wit, Wisdom, and True Stories From 60 Years On the Road.” Much of it was illuminating about the challenges and difficulties of this job, and it had a few hilarious anecdotes thrown in for good measure.
Much to my disappointment, though, Miller didn’t write a single word about truckers holding up traffic unnecessarily.
No matter, I will at least try to be more patient in my views of such reprehensible behavior. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Hey...I’m trying.
