Bahadur

I just walked out of Heathrow and was all set to get home in a nice, complimentary chauffeur driven car, a luxury possible thanks to the wonder of miles. I was directed to a man with a board that read 'Ravi-Chandar,' who helped me put my suitcase into the boot. I was on my way home.

I usually tend to strike up a casual conversation with the driver. I start with asking about what it's like to drive in the UK and take it from there. 

"So, do you like driving in the UK?"

"No, not really. Some people tend to drive because they enjoy it; it allows them to think. To me, it's just a way to make money. It's all financial."

He told me his health was very bad. He had a different job that paid great but he needed perfect health to continue working and he was shut down four years ago. He maxed out his cards and savings a year ago and spent the last of it on the car to make some money. He's waiting for his health to get better so that maybe he can return to his earlier job.

This man had shared something so personal with me and I was truly humbled. I took the opportunity to formally introduce myself and what followed next was one of the most inspiring conversations I've ever had.

He was born in Iran and his parents were very poor. He told me that his shoes always had holes in them and his feet were always freezing. But he only knew they were freezing many years later; cold was all he knew and his feet were how how he thought feet should be. That's all he knew and how can life be anything more than what we know?

When the Iran - Iraq broke out, he was called into the army. He served for 4 years on the front line. 

At the end of that, he moved to Tokyo and did whatever work he could find. He jumped multiple jobs, always moving to a higher pay grade. He said the best part, though, was how much he learnt and how it opened his mind. After working very hard for a few years, he returned to Iran. He had earned so much money that he had become a millionaire. He bought his parents a house and his brother two flats. He started a building business in Iran and became a multi-millionarie. 

He lived a good life for a long time but then some political issues arose that forced him to have to leave Iran very quickly. He had to leave everything behind; all his assets were locked up and he could take nothing. The most important thing he had to leave behind was his family.

He arrived in the UK with 20 pounds to his name. He was extremely hungry and had to choose between eating a McDonald's meal now and starving for a while later, or some how rationing out this money. He decided that he was going to get nowhere with 20 pounds and that it was better to eat now and figure out a plan on a full stomach.

Turns out, he did make a plan. He started working tons of manual labour jobs and was making 13 pounds a day. He didn't need much, though and this was more than enough for the time being. He then started switching jobs again, making more with each job. After years of hard work again, he had a really high paying job. He started a company doing what he knew best - building. The money was extremely good and again, he was a millionaire. 

Then, his health took a turn for the worse. He had some condition that caused him a great deal of pain; he spent his entire day in pain. He had to give up his company until he got better. After a few years of recovering, he had spent all his savings (family was back with him) and maxed out his credit. He bought a car and decided to take make some money off it until he got fully better. 

And so, you see, he didn't like driving because driving was just a way to get by until he can get his company back.

Ours was a conversation and didn't follow in the way I laid it out above. We talked about different parts of his life and more importantly, different parts of his views on life. I (now flippantly) mentioned early in the conversation that life seems to be like a roller coaster and he constantly worked that into how his life moved. He ended by saying that again, his roller coaster is at the bottom and it's time for him to work hard and go up again. 

We had an intense conversation and he shared much more. He did, however, mention that his sons get all the best shoes with no questions asked; he never compromises on shoes. I realised that I was fortunate enough to be in a car with greatness.