I commuted via bus and subway to and from Catholic HS in The Bronx back in the early 70's so I identify with you.
2
I spent about 1000 hours on the New York subway commuting to my public high school. The school provided an excellent education; the subway was just how I got there.
On the way I saw homeless people (they were called bums, or derelicts), for whom the subway was a warm refuge.
No private school would have given me a scholarship or, likely, even admitted me. But I don't get a NYT op-ed to boast, or to complain.
1
There seems to be a worldwide attitude problem when it comes to public transport. Everywhere it is viewed as a last-ditch travel refuge for poor and disadvantaged people. Not only do more-affluent people shun it because it forces them to associate with others whom they view as their social inferiors, they don't want to be seen using it. All of which is a shame, because getting people out of their cars is a significant step toward limiting fossil fuel overuse. I've happily used public transport most of my life and proudly call myself a "conscientious non-driver".
8
I too needed to use public transportation to get to and from the Stuyvesant H.S., which I was lucky enough to be accepted into. I agree that the daily train rides taught me more about life, and luck, than anything I ever learned in class. Poverty and addiction, homelessness and hunger were evident even if you weren't paying much attention. We're all people, and we all have needs...and an obligation to help those less fortunate, and less lucky than we've been.
12
Wonderful article. Congratulations on your graduation and on your book too. Shout out to your family for supporting your goals.
I read your essay while commuting to work on the Seattle Metro #75. Even in Los Angeles, I preferred to commute to work by bus. Who wants the hassle of driving in the morning. I write stories, read books, listen to music. Like yourself, I relish the interactions of bus travel: Talked to a lobster (costumed man commuting to a party); saw the Pacific Northwest Ballet's corps de ballet post-performance in hair buns, lots of markup, and black leather jackets; a doggie in a day-glo pink overcoat and booties to match; two student dentists discussing (inappropriately) a patient's health plan; talked with a down-and-out but very dignified man who at about 7 feet tall said he was a former pro basketball player and did my kid need a coach?
I've also seen domestic violence in action, bad parenting, poor manners, and many too-loud conversations.
Bus drivers are my heroes. Like postal delivery folks, they get the job done in all kinds of weather and with 30-60 potential back seat drivers. Most are wonderful people to work with only a few Mr Grumpys.
Viva la public transportation systems.
Mr Wood, I look forward to your next essay and will seek out your book.
17
For the author..I’m a free lancer from Chevy Chase Maryland. Our stories intersect somehow...last year I covered Bullis for a local paper. I remember feeling blessed that kids were in a college like campus environment. Bullis football even has a scoreboard with instant replay. I know not to indict Bullis...minorities are achieving results but I do know so much is about resources. Bullis has resources. Now I’m working as a reading Tudor and within the next few weeks I will start at a school in nw, ne or se. I will be with students way below their reading grade levels. So here I go with my look into the inner city. Yet this guy ,if he takes the metro, I will be going home to the over resourced area..,and my dad at 75, a firm in town, takes the metro and metro bus every morning at 5:45 am. We’re right there hoping to here good things from you Mr. Wood. Inspiring story.
1
I grew up in the alleyways of Pittsburgh PA. We took buses everywhere. Our parents somehow managed to pay the tuition for us to attend the Catholic High Schools in the wealthier neighborhoods in the city. We had to take two buses and then walk to make it to school on time. But there were a lot of kids who did it. And there was no shame. It was the way of life for inner city kids. The people on the bus were our people, our friends and our neighbors. In our world, most people were getting by on one salary. Some people did not know how to drive. My mother walked everywhere. I live in the Kansas suburbs now where I rarely see a bus. I am dependent on my car and while there are sidewalks, I walk only for exercise here. No doubt, I met some very interesting characters at the bus stop and in the bus, but I learned street-wise skills that I still use everyday. I miss walking on the uneven sidewalks of Pittsburgh through streets filled with the noises of street life.
6
8 years ago, as a newcomer to Western Massachusetts after an established 25-year life in Boston, I took the PVTA 42 bus from Northampton to Williamsburg, Mass and back daily to collect my then 10 year-old grandson after school. During this altered new life of retirement as the "village" for my small family, my grandson and I became part of the bus community. There is a large Veteran's Hospital midway on the bus route. The veterans, other daily public bus riders, he and I were regulars. We looked out for one another, said "hello", and sometimes recognized each other in different locations outside of the route. As my grandson grew and graduated, I remained with the bus community while less frequently. It was my life saver through all four seasons as a city slicker without a car. It wasn't easy. I listened to many "war" stories, some one-on-one when the bus was full, and some harder than others. Over time, it became a form of ministry in caring for strangers. In so doing, I was mutually recognized for my humanity as a stranger and outsider to the area. I realized a valuable lesson about our common humanity, all of us going in the same direction simultaneously. After all, "we are all just bozos on the bus." Not one person is any better than any other. I still ride the bus while less frequently and discover how grateful I am for this unexpected insight into our shared and common humanity, and especially for our 42 PVTA bus community. I resonated deeply with this article.
7
Zachary, thanks for sharing your experience and perspective. You have managed to live a life that requires discipline and perseverance, qualities that are essential to be successful in life. I feel you have understood the true meaning of life - being humble and greatful. In the end these matter more than anything else. I wish you luck and success in your next endeavors.
2
Thank you Mr. Wood. Your description is so vivid & accurate. I retired to Capitol Hill in NE DC almost 8 years ago. I take this bus at least weekly, by choice because it is convenient & inexpensive for seniors. Scenes you describe take place every time. My heart goes out to many fellow passengers.
MY GREATEST wish is that every member of Congress was required to take the X2 at least once a month and enact policies to begin addressing the systemic poverty and INEQUALITY in our society.
11
My daughter spent several hours every day traveling to one of to one of the NYC Specialized High Schools. Fortunately, I was able to afford a LIRR ticket for her, but it was still a grueling two hours each way. And sometimes at 10 pm after a rehearsal. And, of course, no cell phones allowed (but she had one). It certainly builds character, but it's an inhuman way to treat children.
Move forward a few years.
So, my daughter sent me an e-mail this morning. Her apartment complex requires that she carry insurance, and her policy had just been cancelled. Implicitly, she would be homeless!
Well, of course not. I know how to deal with large companies. And besides, I am on a first name basis with my local legislators and wouldn't hesitate to contact them. Not because I, or my daughter should get special treatment but because her company was mistreating her.
I'm also going to court for an acquaintance who received a collection of traffic summonses in Nassau Country for no reason that I can discern other than her skin color.
But what happens to the many, many people who are on their own dealing with "the system"? May God help them because no one else is likely to.
8
Our education comes in many forms if we are willing to make the best of our circumstances. This is a great essay on the challenges of being poor even if one is given an opportunity to attend an elite school. Students who face these types of challenges need help; that much is plain and simple. If we can provide support, encouragement, and small amounts of financial assistance when we identify just one person such as this young man, let's do it.
1
Congratulations Mr. Wood! I pray all of your rides are easier from here on. I'm sorry you had to endure all of that...but am so grateful for your lessons. You are not only educated, but wise...very wise.
1
"It’s nearly impossible to rise without other people helping you pull yourself up." A young man who has learned this valuable lesson earlier than most.
My background was poor and white. I, too, went to a prestigious private high school and worked 8 hours after school as a file clerk for an insurance company (yes, I lied about my age) to pay for it. The school let me pay my tuition weekly so each Friday I would cash my paycheck, pay my tuition and what was left went to bus fare, food, and books.
And I too took the bus. Five buses a day. A learning experience to be sure, but without the L.A. Rapid Transit District (as it was then called) I could not have gone to private school and to my swing shift job.
Today, as a post-65 person I still take the bus. It is harder now. The homeless and mentally ill riders cause many disturbances and the bus operators are generally ineffective in policing their bus and/or calling for help from the transit or local police. This is a major problem largely unaddressed. Are you listening Mayor Garcetti?
I congratulate the writer and wish him well as he continues the journey of life.
9
thank you, Zachary. very thoughtful & inspiring! I am certain you will be successful in life!
1
And every day, potentially, gifts each of us with unexpected opportunities. Each one with unpredictable outcomes. Valenced by ourselves, and others, in what we can, and do, experience. All operating within ongoing ranges of dimensions of uncertainties. "Befriendable," or not, over which, when confronted and challenged by them, there is no total control, no matter our efforts. Your daily ride was a quest, which is inherent in helpful questions which needed to be asked. Addressed. Learned from and with. It brought you,THEN, to where you are, NOW,and, perhaps, to where you are yet to arrive. Keep questing. Keep riding. Keep looking and seeing. Attending and hearing. Sating your senses.
They used to have a bell cord that you pulled. Whether the driver stopped before an official stop depended on whether he liked you.
1
As I read your article, I drew a parallel between your and my husband’s life experiences.
He, also commuted 2 hours each way between home and high school. The public transportation included bus, ferry, and a long subway ride. He passed his time working on his homework and sleeping. Many times, the subway conductors were kind enough to wake him so he wouldn’t miss his school stop.
He, also was fortunate. As a young white teen living at a children’s center for boys, a counselor made him aware of, and guided him through the admission process of getting into the prestigious Bronx High School of Science.
He was back living with his family during his Bronx Science years. Those years were peppered with occasional incidents and interruptions. Life was full of hardships; some he could control and some he could not. He tried very quietly to get ready for school in the dark so as not to wake his siblings and annoy his father. But, being locked out by his mother at random times after school was something he could not control.
The high school, the commute, and the living with strangers at a children’s center were all part of my husband’s past. The caring of one counselor, however had deeply changed his life.
10
I’m an adult man, middle 40s, a college degree and a more than well paid job, and I’m also a daily commuter, in part because I dislike driving, parking is quite expensive, and public transportation is very decent allowing me to get to job in less than 45 minutes.
I feel completely represented by the article, by commuting I feel grounded, down to earth, and realize that the money I spent for that purpose is harmless compared to the rest of the hard-working people.
7
What a refreshing piece of real truth. This young man deserves all the applause we can muster and I have no doubt success is in his future.
9
Whether you are the passenger or the driver, there is no window on American life, in all its complexity, as a ride on public transit. I highly recommend it to all elected officials.
14
Terrific article. While I grew up in affluence, I frequently rode the bus through bad parts of LA to get to my father's store downtown and help him out. Mixing with people from all circumstances was an eye-opener and I credit those bus rides with helping me develop empathy for the less privileged in our society.
10
Very well written and an essay that all Americans should read. The myth is harmful and a lie. This young man is an example of a wonderful American who has talent, sensitivity, and compassion. I wish all Americans ( and all people) had his understanding of the incredible difficulties so many people face. We all need to help others in whatever ways we can just because we are decent human beings. This is needed for our country and the world to survive.
6
Talent is shared equally across all spectrums, but opportunity is not.
7
I commuted by public bus to high school, which was in another town than where I lived. The total ride was probably 45 min to 1 hour, if I am remembering correctly. Everyone who went to my high school did the same; those were not the days where parents drove kids to school; many homes only had one car. I went to an all girls parochial high school, and part of being on public transportation meant we represented the school, and we knew we better do that well. Frankly, I treasure all those experiences, as they taught me and my school mates what real life was like, a lesson that seems to have faded away these days.
5
One of the biggest things I miss about London since moving to Los Angeles (other than a phenomenal integrated public transport network) is the bus network specifically. There is no way I could afford nor justify a car in a large city so I adored commuting on the bus. Even if it was slower than the tube. I liked seeing the city I was a part of, interacting with people (crazies and drunks included) it was cheap, interesting reliable and used by a true cross section of the inhabitants of the city. Mothers, children, pensioners, students, business people – everyone. Bus networks here are anything but…well, maybe they’re still cheap-ish. They’re slow, rarely have dedicated roadways and are often cancelled and dirty. With proper investment, dedicated routes to integrate into other transport and better infrastructure, it could work so well here. But I have slowly and reluctantly relented to the LA way of driving to work, adding pollution and congestion purely because it’s faster.
2
Perhaps our representatives in Washington should ride the bus in the Metro DC area. They would also receive an excellent education.
8
"Unlike most of my classmates at Bullis, my fellow commuters were not beneficiaries of inherited wealth and social capital. They endured the adversity they faced because they were committed to caring and providing for themselves and their families."
Is the author telling us that most of the whites who are wealthy, inherit their wealth? They also have some special social capital?
Could it be possible that they got education, worked hard and got wealthy? What wealthy background did Steve Jobs had?
Would author have gotten the same opportunities in Africa, Asia, Europe? How about thanking the country that provides these golden opportunities to all races?
1
@AIM
"Unlike most of my classmates at Bullis ..." It would seem highly unlikely that most of the author's high school classmates could have worked hard and become wealthy before graduating from high school. The author was referring to his classmates in high school specifically.
5
Bravo to you, with every best wish and vibe possible aimed at your brilliant future. Thank you for telling us your story.
2
What a beautiful tribute to all of the people who saw your potential and worked so hard to give you opportunity to "BeBest". Carry on fine young man. I know that you will pay it forward to others in the future.
I'm an old woman but I hope I live long enough to cast my vote for you as president in the future.
Godspeed
5
It is unfortunate that the US has such poor on the whole public transportation. It is also ridiculed by the majority of society - even those barely making ends meet - as something poor people do, i.e., those who don't make enough to own and maintain a car. Having been raised and educated mostly abroad, public transportation in Asia and Europe are wonderful. Reliable, clean, economical and this is because their societies are not based on a car society. And I am okay with that. Having retired in Hawaii, the city of Honolulu has a pretty good bus system. For the price it gets the job done. But many of my friends and acquaintances are surprised that I would not get a car over public transportation. Why? Our roads are lousy, parking is difficult and the traffic is terrible. Living the city life, the bus and Uber make life easy. Having said this, I choose to use public transportation not because I have to. Still I see a lot of stories on the bus and it keeps me in touch with many who are in the same position as the author was.
3
I cried for an hour after reading Mr. Wood's commentary. I was one of many kids born into the great depression when poverty was ubiquitous. My mother washed and ironed others clothes and sat for others children. Yes, food was scarce to non-existent. I dreamed of working and finally got my first job at 18, retired 68 years later, living comfortably, thanks to many people.
I congratulate and am proud of Mr. Wood for his empathy, strength and fortitude. Go well and far.
11
Based on the other comments here, this probably won't be popular. I just can't take everything Mr. Wood says at face value. Some of what he is saying, as a native DC person, and as someone very familiar with Bullis, just doesn't ring true.
I never heard anyone from DC describe themselves as living in a certain Ward.
Certainly, his constitution is extraordinary, to exist as a teenager on 3-4 hours sleep and apparently do so well.
"Most of my classmates arrived at school in luxury S.U.V.s, Mercedeses and BMWs. Being black and poor made me a minority twice over." Well, I have been in the Bullis parking lot many times and this is not my experience.
"Unlike most of my classmates at Bullis, my fellow commuters were not beneficiaries of inherited wealth and social capital." More than anything, this quote makes me question the author's credibility. How exactly does he know how his classmates' families got where they are? I know Bullis. My experience is virtually all of them got there through hard work.
I wasn't on the bus with him, so I don't know. But what I do know is exaggerated and biased.
2
@Michael B.
The author was not referring to how the families of his classmates got where they are. He wrote very clearly, "Unlike most of my classmates at Bullis ..." Unless his classmates were astounding prodigies, they were the beneficiaries of their family's inherited wealth (or lack of wealth), and were not the beneficiaries of the wealth they personally earned.
3
@Ah I disagree with you, and I'll say you would have to twist the English language to a great degree to arrive at that conclusion. He made a clear statement that someone inherited something. Given that 50% of the American public does not have a will, I think it is safe to say that his classmates had not inherited anything. Nor could he possibly know the net worth of the families, and who was paying for his classmates' tuition. The author was referring to the families, and their SUVs which was very clear. He made a value judgment, and an unsubstantiated one at that, and I find it exaggerated. I'm sure we disagree, and I respect that.
People like you, who have experienced empathy and sympathy on a daily basis are the ones I want running this country- not the spoiled, overly rich people we seem to have now. Good luck to you.
3
Reading this young man’s perspective gives me hope and optimism for a future with people like him in it.
2
As a Washingtonian, I well understand that the public transit commute from Ward 8 to Bullis School is beyond arduous. Frankly, I’m surprised that the author could accomplish the journey in 2 hours.
The racial and socio-economic differences between Bullis and Ward 8 must be equally daunting. As the author points out, Ward 8 is perhaps Washington, DC’s poorest neighborhood, while Bullis focuses on the children of Washington’s richest. In addition, Bullis is a bastion of conservative values and social traditions: its graduates are expected to enter lives of position and privilege.
I wish Zachary Wood well and will be interested to read his memoir. Best wishes to Mr. Wood and his family.
7
I would like to see people like Zachary Wood run for public office. We need people with his hard-won life lessons and compassion.
4
Brings back memories...As I write this, it becomes clear that I've reached the ripe old age of "look how hard I had it."
I commuted from outer Queens to a NYC specialized HS in the 80's-90's. I traveled 1 hr and 20 min each way, not as long as the author. Even though I didn't face the danger of gunshots and witness daily violence, I did have to contend with a particular gentleman who rode the subway with me most mornings, a man with a penchant for extremely loose sweatpants with no elastic remaining in the waist, that would gradually drop as the train vibrated, regaling the riders with a view of his nether regions.
I was pushed, shoved, groped by weird men, crowded into train cars with failed ACs in the summer, all while carrying 30 lbs of textbooks in my backpack. Then after school I would go to my job, work for a few hours, come home and study for 3-4 hours, and repeat the next day.
And now I get to be that mom in the suburbs that looks at her entitled kids wishing they had more grit and gratitude.
Public transportation is definitely character building! Too bad there isn't enough political will to invest in it.
8
What a thoughtful, thought provoking item. Thank you for printing this.
4
Wonderful piece. You will undoubtedly do well in your life and enjoy the opportunities you find to help others pull themselves up. Bravo to you!
1
As the divide between haves and have nots increases our culture is diminished greatly by a lack of exposure to all people by all people. As we squirm through this wormhole we're about to find out how impoverished life will be in a Divided States of America.
1
British expat here. What I think is absurd is the stigma associated with "riding the bus" in this country. What's wrong with riding the bus? Why should it only be for the poor and black? Meanwhile there are more and more cars on the roads, and every European knows that Americans are way too dependent on their cars. What America needs is more buses, more public transport... This stigma is outdated and ridiculous.
5
@Sarah L
Meanwhile there are more and more cars on the roads, and every European knows that Americans are way too dependent on their cars.
---
NYC is not Montana. Really. Look it up. Thanks.
I’m well aware it’s not Montana. I’m specifically referring to Long Island. I’ve lived here for 13 years. And yes, people are way too dependent on their cars, and yes, there are way too many cars on the road.
4
As a native New Yorker, who spent endless hours on the Sea Beach Express, from Brooklyn to Manhattan in the 60's and 70's, I am convinced of the value of the Great Equalizer, public transportation.
Please, please, New York Times, continue these inspiring essays and lay off the articles about the couples who are having a tough time finding a place to purchase in Manhattan for a mere 1 and a half million dollars.
They are decidedly NOT inspiring!
12
Thank you for this essay, which shows how compassion is built through real personal experience. The dismal lack of public transportation and other shared community experiences in this country are a big reason we are in the situation we are in. It is so easy in this country for people with cars to never, ever be around anyone unlike themselves. And so it is easy for fearmongering louts like trump to prey on people's fears of those who are "different". Bigotry and fear rush in to fill an information vacuum.
4
I commuted ~2 hours each way on public transit while in grad school so I could save money on housing.
My experience was largely uneventual, but occationally terrifying.
I was threatened by people high on drugs a half dozen times. I watched a drug dealer get into a physical fight with a police officer. I made small talk with a group of seven people all in ankle monitors just riding the bus around all day.
After a while I just got used to the quirks of mass transit.
I dunno that I learned any life lessons from it — other than that my fellow (wealthy, majority white, majority undergrads living with in 5 miles of campus) students seems constantly shocked that I would ever do such a thing.
Unless you’re insanely wealthy AND insanely lucky you’re gonna have to deal with ‘those people’ at some point. It’s just life.
4
Thank you for a lovely essay. I recently started taking public transportation for the first time in many years. It truly is an education about life and your surroundings. The bus route runs along a poor section of Tucson to the downtown bus station. There are many riders and the downtown station is usually crowded. Most of the people are minorities, immigrants, the homeless, and the poor. There is a bus along this route every 15 minutes which is mostly on time. The people and the bus drivers are courteous to one another with many a thank you. I realize how isolated and unaware I have become driving my car alone to work. I have time to think, interact, observe, and learn about my community in a more intimate way by using the bus. I recommend it highly.
5
After 16 years of riding public transportation in San Francisco, I returned to the East Coast and the automobile to care for a terminally ill relative. The savings of not owning a car allowed a low income person to stay in one of America's most expensive cities. In the suburbs it is almost impossible to work and provide eldercare to family without a car. I thought of taking the bus to work to extend the life of my vehicle only to discover that while a bus would take me to work there is no bus to take me home. The limitations of 21st century public transportation have turned a bus veteran into another person driving alone using fossil fuel. None of the money I spend on my vehicle goes into the local economy, it simply drives to Wall Street and perhaps the oil companies.
6
One more lesson: maturity. My mom didn't drive at the time, so I began to ride a Nassau County bus to afternoon religious school at about age 9. At first, she'd walk me down to the corner, but after a short while I was "old enough" to walk the two blocks and put my own quarter in the fare box. That made me a big kid.
Years later, I came home from Yale and went to grad school at Columbia. The LIRR and NYC subway system have their share of issues, and I have anecdotes about people I've met and things that have happened to me. Most people get where they're going most of the time, though, and there is always an effort to make the ride better.
I agree with everyone else and commend the author. Now I live in LA, where people are quick to attack our mass transit. Over a period of about seven years when I didn't have a car, however, I went everywhere by bus and Metro Rail. (For my neighbors who know the territory: that includes travel from Tarzana to Whittier.) It wasn't the fastest way, but I could read or meditate - or talk to the people around me that I got to know. Now that I'm a senior, I also get a wonderful break on the fares. Bravo to my fellow travelers!
6
I loved this piece. Decades ago, I traveled to the Bronx High School of Science from Manhattan either by two trains or two buses. I, too, received a full education by using public transportation. At that time, no one in our school drove to work since the minimal age for a driver's license in NYC was 18. So not only did we all travel in public, we developed a rich social life while we traveled.
3
A great article.
Wood has told us what freedom means.
It means one can choose what kind of people you want to be.
It means one can learn from whatever you encountered in your life.
It also means many things in our life.
I traveled 2 hours daily by city bus to get from my house (in a blue-collar section of Buffalo) to my high school on the north side. I hated every minute of the ride. I loved the school - I feel like I owe my life to the things I learned while studying there, most of which were unrelated to academics.
Congratulations, Zachary, for recognizing that gratitude, resilience, humility are fruits of struggle.
I grew up, in Philly, taking public transportation to school. Then, later, taking public transportation all around San Francisco to do my job as a case manager (oh, number 14 bus...so much to remember of that route!). I now live in Boise where there is a very small public transportation system, and I never use it (have ridden the bus once here). And I miss it! You absolutely do see a cross section of the community of people that live in your city, especially a big city. You certainly observe people who you know have a harder time in life than you, which teaches gratitude. You sometimes see things...or smell things...that you might rather not see or smell, but that’s all part of it. There are often moments of humor too. A conversation overheard, an oddball type doing their thing, out loud and in the open. Riding the bus is a lesson in “people”.
I really enjoyed this article, thank you.
1
2006-2007 I "took [rode] the bus" (the Express) from Renton into Seattle every day. An excellent bus system. A couple of times I had to get on at Pioneer Square at night. It was fine. Drivers mostly helpful and sometimes funny. In big snowstorm the driver would not go down a steep snowy hill so my son and I got off and slogged about a mile or so home. We thought it was funny (from NE and Midwest) BUT we wore warm clothes and good boots and we ended up in a safe, warm house. I was lucky to not drive in terrible traffic and to take advantage of reliable public transit. I was lucky to be warm and to have a home. That was one big lesson for me, among the ones Wood describes.
My husband took public transportation from Canarsie (NYC) to Stuyvesant High School every school day (late sixties)..similar routine.
Well worth the discipline...pays off in the long run.
Long live public transportation and the public school system,.
6
Gratitude, Resilience and being Humble have been the exact same three positive character traits that I have learned from five decades of relentless life-changing medical sufferings, tragedies and traumas.
There is affirmative value in sufferings. One can find meaning in sufferings.
When there may be just a few hours or just fleeting moments with a temporary taste of a quality of life for you, you realize that what others call the “little things” in life are all merely relative.
You realize that your problems may be a luxury for someone else.
You must always constantly be saying to yourself, “it could be worse” and focus on what you can do, can be, and do have.
I was very pleased to read this writer’s insightful piece.
All I would add is the most fundamental attribute of character--Compassion.
Strive always to be a care actor.
5
Wonderful essay. Goes to show that the proverbial, "it's the journey that makes the trip, not the destination" rings true.
1
Congratulations, young man. Great things are in your future. Keep sharing your voice.
3
What a superb essay! Your accomplishments in the face of adversity will no doubt help you throughout life as you will surpass those who give up when the road gets rough!
1
This is a great commentary by Mr. Wood. I, too, had to ride public transportation to high school, but not nearly as far or through such rough neighborhoods. At the time, it certainly was highly inconvenient and uncomfortable. In hindsight, I am glad I grew up without all the amenities of my classmates. I had to be more mature which made me ready for life. I also realized that I needed to help others because others helped me. This is a lesson that our president does not understand in the least, which makes our country a worse place.
5
love my children, but while I try to set good examples and teach them the value of responsibility, they are hopelessly spoiled. They attend one of the best public schools in the state and have always had ready transportation from both their parents, grandparents, my fiance and, when eligible, the school. They have never had to walk in poor weather or - until my older son became employed - ride a city bus. I rode the city bus a lot as a kid and as an adult. It *was* a learning experience in many ways, and despite my eldest son's complaints, I'm proud he is experiencing public transportation. Learning to read a bus schedule, plan ahead and take part in the myriad facets of humanity is priceless. Someday, he will be grateful I encouraged him to rely upon himself. (Fingers crossed.)
5
I grew up in the 60s and 70s as a middle-class white and took the DC buses all the time. I still take public transportation in Cleveland when I am not biking. I appreciate this essay, but I saw lots of different kinds of people on the bus, from the well off to the poor. There's no reason why more people shouldn't take the bus. It's usually cheap, better for the environment, and gives you time to read. I wish the best to the author, and hope he will continue to take the bus!
5
Thank you for sharing your experience. Gratitude, resilience and humility. I want to remember this as I go through my day. All the very best to you.
Super essay Mr. Wood. You're going to be a highly successful college student, citizen and person is my prediction.
1
Though I have not commuted by bus in many decades, as a United Methodist pastor of a poor congregation in a very poor section of San Antonio, I have also experienced these same kinds of relationships. What it taught me really quickly is that most of the time our society believes that if you are poor, it is your own fault, but now I know better. Most people are doing the best they can with what they have. Those of us who have so much would do well to find ways to give a helping hand - and in so doing recognize their humanity - and ours! Thank you for this really very profound editorial!
131
From an European point of view, this is a baffling article. I teach in a middle class Norwegian highschool, and probably half of my students come by bus (the rest ride a bike or a motorcycle, or just walk). Having your parents drive you to school when you are a teenager is really rare in the Nordic countries.
8
A thoughtful and politically charged essay. Well done young man.
1
I lived and worked in Southern California where everyone except the lowliest of low and me drove to and from work daily. I took the bus. I was often ridiculed for doing so, but having lived in both Europe and New York, I had learned the advantages of public transportation. Once on the freeway to “downtown” Los Angeles or San Diego, I could look down on exasperated drivers driving 10 miles an hour in bumper to bumper traffic and then go back to my coffee (from thermos) and book. The sometimes long walk to and from the bus stop was an opportunity to wear gym shoes and get some exercise. And, at the end of the month, my savings included less stress as well as many dollars and maybe less pounds.
12
Thank you, Mr. Wood, for your brilliant and moving essay. Gratitude, resilience, and humility. Jesus and Dr. King are proud of you, as am I and many others. Have a blessed life.
2
The driver of the no. 36 Broadway bus used to greet us with “ Welcome to the Happy Bus”.
We loved it.
Now if that bus and all the others were electric, like the streetcars that used to roll on that very same line, we’d all breath a lot easier. “Welcome to the happy city” could be exclaimed to all. Bicycle riders in particular would smell the difference.
5
Although I was not impoverished, as a born and raised New Yorker, like Mr. Wood, I too commuted to school by public transportation. For three years, I went to high school by bus (two, in fact, since I had to change mid-way) and downtown to NYU from Brooklyn, by subway. I still ride the subway whenever I'm in New York and in Toronto where I now live. I love people watching and guesstimating the kinds of jobs or school programs to which my fellow riders are going, making silent observations to myself about the young lovers sharing my ride and smiling at the young children travelling with their parents or guardians. I truly believe that those who never take public transportation lose out on a vital experience. Much of the commute in both cities remains the same, especially the crush of people of all ethnic backgrounds and economic strata, but the addition of air conditioning has certainly made a marked difference to our days.
6
Public transportation is a kind of community. Besides abstractions like "gratitude," I learn which Mexican restaurant is good, what the homeless shelter is really like inside, and many other useful things about my town. Your car's gps won't tell you this stuff.
6
I really enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing this, Zachary, and congratulations on your graduation. Wishing you the best in the years ahead; you've earned it (with, as you point out, considerably help from others).
1
I rode the city bus while attending Junior College back in the late 70's and early 80's . It was an excellent education in the realities of life. I did not appreciate it until much later in my life. I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. Mr. Wood best wishes in your future endeavors.
1
You've seen a lot, Mr. Wood. Put it to good use. You have valuable experience.
3
Brilliant.
Thank you.
1
I took public transportation to high school in the 60s and younger children throughout NYC rode subways and buses alone. As your essay suggests, it provided a whole other education for students to and from school.
For me, I learned the power of observation and a great deal of independence and the importance of having reflection time to begin each day. And yes, like the author, I rode to a private all female academy where many of the young women were driven to school and were much more affluent than I. How we arrived never mattered much to me then. The hour or so spent on a bus was well worth the education I was receiving and provided me transport to more and more places in my life since.
The bus rides might be bumpy and long. Subways might be windy and long. And sure, chauffeured driven limousines are more luxurious, but it’s the destinations that are most important and the experiences that are gained in getting there. Those are what makes the person.
2
This is brilliant!!!! Thank you for sharing. Should be required reading for every member of Congress & White House!!!
7
I once rode the the bus from the “top” of Upper Manhattan to the “tip” of Lower Manhattan.
I remember that I took about 3 hours and how interested I and my 14 year-old son were in the different landscapes and people that got on and off the bus. It was a Sunday and in many areas, “Church ladies” all dressed up to their hats, many shepherding on young boys and girls also in “Sunday best”. Ragged people got on thru some neighborhood and the “fancy” people thru others.
It was over 20 years ago - I don’t know if it would be different today but it was an eye-opener. I think riding on buses is a good education in many respects.
Best of luck to Zachary. Great essay.
8
Wonderful dedication and personal sacrifice for an education. Yes, it is a shame that a great education wasn't available within walking distance. But for all those who are against school choice, you are denying opportunities for others, who like Mr. Wood, are willing to make extreme near term sacrifices for long term benefits of a good education. please remove your opposition.
1
anybody mention time WAITING for the bus?
4
@cherry elliott
I don't know if it's true in all cities, but in Chicago we now have the CTA bus tracker available on your phone as well as displayed on screens at some of the bus stops. It has helped a lot. It's nice to know exactly when to leave the house to make the bus without waiting, or whether you need to hurry or have time to stop for a donut and coffee before boarding the bus.
Plus, since the buses are now tracked by satellite and CTA knows where each one is at all times, we don't have the bad bunch-ups and gaps we used to have.
The future has been a disappointment in many ways, but in other ways living in the 21st century is great.
1
This essay should be on the mandatory reading list of every school. Lessons in life and beautifully written.
7
Thank you for writing this exquisite essay, Mr. Wood. Another lesson you've obviously learned (or maybe you were born with it) is empathy. This is one of the most important lessons of all and is sorely lacking in Trump's America. I hope you will consider running for office one day because you're an extraordinarily bright and compassionate young man. Best wishes to you today and always!
7
Riding the bus is a bubble buster. It introduces you to people you’d never meet in an isolationist car ride. Overtime a small community forms.
16
Zachary, I just want to wish you the very best as you continue with your life and new forms of education. May you continue to have the tailwinds that have helped so much so far.
9
The initial court battles over segregated public schools were fought over "equal funding" of the neighborhood schools NOT over "de-segregation"....as it was painfully obvious that an even larger problem of segregated housing also existed(not to mention segregated work places, lunch counters, churches, taxicabs, nightclubs, water fountains on and on and on.).......but the local school house was the heart and soul of every community in america...black and white. With the later 1971 Supreme Court ruling mandating bussing to forcibly de-segregate every school district in America........the heart of every black community was ripped out of the body. While segregated black communities were always destitute, threadbare places.....there was once a school and church that held families together. Since the 1970s these communities have descended even further into the abyss, not the other way around as the Supreme Court intended. We need SMALLER, more localized schools.......Not SuperMAx facilities that bus in the condemned to be locked down and monitored by SpyCams and Metal Detectors..given standardized, culturally sensitive tests to channel the unwilling into acceptable functions that benefit society after they are released.
2
@Wherever Hugo
Amen! With a qualification! Legal racial segregation was never fair; its injury to black taxpayers began with unequal disbursements of government spending the equal tax rates everyone black and white have (and had) to pay. But racially separate institutions have never been equal because funding always depended (and still does) on political control of the public purse.
With reelection campaigns in mind, white politicians representing racially segregated communities, had a terrible “rap sheet,” for unequal funding. Historically the “M.O.” of elected white “perps” in the Deep South, like my own Louisiana, was to use black community taxes to improve public schools in white neighborhoods at the expense of black public schools.
As “appendages”of several majority white political districts, black voting numbers in majority black residencies were usually so gerrymandered as recently as in North Carolina that they got the short end of the stick in tax benefits. And black voters in majority white districts had no way to hold racist white politicians to account.
You do what you have to do. I took the city bus for my high school, it was about a 20-minute trip. I took the subway to college, it was about an hour and a half each way.
Coming from public housing, I didn't think that using public transportation was all that enlightening at all. About the only thing it 'taught' me was to use and enjoy public transportation. And to develop my NYC 'subway' face.
2
I look forward to voting for you, Mr. Wood.
5
"Pull yourself up by the bootstraps" has always been the way that those who never had to do so soothed their consciences for their contempt for the poor.
19
Hear Hear
1
Well written opinion piece and good job identifying the positives, and there are many positives, from your experience. And you and your father should be very proud of your accomplishments so far. Can't wait to see what the future brings you? Maybe a degree in urban planning or technology so you can help the future? Best of luck!
6
Zachary, thank you for sharing this essay. It should be read by everyone.
7
I am going to save this to send to my friends every time they complain about having to wait for their kids in the pick up line at school.
11
Here we are, living in America---perhaps the greatest country and democracy to inhabit Planet Earth. But where do we prioritize our resources? To enhance our sophisticated, cherished weapons of war.
Why is it that Republicans love to see heaps of trillions of dollars shoveled down the tube of our military industrial complex?
I think it is a false sense of security. No wonder mass shootings--in our schools, movie theaters and malls--have become an accepted way of American life in this new century. Is there not a very deep connection between our war-like mentality and the oozing, angry outburst of gunfire and blood---scattershot across our society by unhinged, white, loners who have become our worst enemy? How safe am I, really?
Just imagine: weaponizing our tax dollars to educate all of our people. Think of the spirit and talent of our richly marbled society that could be harnessed. Imagine the calming outreach that could soothe and heal our national soul.
Wonderful essay, Mr. Wood. I learned something from you today. You inspired me to write my own essay. Let's keep writing, shall we?
7
180th Street bus, from south of the Zoo over to Webster Avenue, down to Tremont, and up to the Grand Concourse at 177th...
(see it’s still the 36 route – though now Bx36)
Then, onto the IRT, down to near (the old) Yankee Stadium...
Starting in 2nd grade and for a couple of years thereafter...
No long-lasting damage – or visible scars, at least – from either the commute or the parochial education...
And, relatively less institutionalized racism...Street violence and mayhem in the southern Bronx (not quite the South Bronx – a story unto itself) were quite diverse and inclusive at the time...
A societal harbinger of sorts...
6
One of the best essays I've read in a very long time. It is food for thought for me today. Thank you.
12
I think the best part of this is that you've finished college and are looking forward to "next". You don't mention that your experience has been shared by many thousands of children over many decades in the bus and subway rides (usually combinations) of many hours every day to get to the "special" public high schools that are part of the free to all NYC school system (including: Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant, and Brooklyn Technical High School).
For these, there is one test that is the same for all. My friend Charlie Sachs commuted BHSS 2 1/2 hours each way from where we lived way out in Queensvillage. I commuted 1 1/2 hours each way (on a bus and two subways) to get to Brooklyn Tech.
We did this in the 50s, and there were no limos etc in sight. Pretty much all the students in these schools were from lower middle class and poor backgrounds, and thus used the NYC public transportation system.
In those days there was no special prep for these schools. How did children from these backgrounds get to the point where they could pass the very difficult exam? Everyone has a different story, but the one thing we all had in common was reading, and almost all of our books came from the free public libraries that were everywhere in the city back then. Curious children could learn a lot, and in many respects that is what the entrance exam was really testing.
What about college? Well, there were many options in the city also -- perhaps the most wonderful was CCNY.
14
Beautiful essay, except I disagree with the part about "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" being a myth.
Plenty of people in far, far worse situations than yourself have managed to go on and be very successful in many different ways. Nobody says you have to do it by yourself. In fact, you are correct, it does require the help of others around you.
But the first step is for the person in question to make the decision to better their situation. Not everyone is willing to do that, but you obviously were.
6
@Ed
"But the first step is for the person in question to make the decision to better their situation. Not everyone is willing to do that, but you obviously were."
One item not touched on is that many people don't KNOW of the bigger world. I think he is attempting to articulate what this opportunity meant for him showing him a world and opportunities he did not know existed. I certainly didn't
7
This bootstrap scenario is a myth perpetuated by people who never really knew struggles, or received assistance either through scholarship or affirmative action then choose to dismiss they received help (Ben Carson comes to mind).
9
Nobody should be ashamed of taking public transit. But perhaps the U.S. should be ashamed of building public transit systems that only the poor and desperate will use, and fairly shoddy ones at that.
19
Great article, and well-told story. Thank you.
2
I look forward to your essay on what you learned at high school.
This post really spoke to me. I'm a college student in Brazil and I spend two or more hours a day on public transportation. I never noticed how much it affected me before reading this post, but now I realize something else. Here in Brazil, public transportation isn't quite as good as in the US, and spending time living it made me realise what I wanted to achieve in life, and most importantly, thought me the struggles that the people from my country face each day. Seeing elderly people, families with babies, pregnant women, and so on, having to take a full bus everyday, not having where to seat, having no shelter from rain whatsoever in bus stops, just because they can't afford any other type of transportation. That made a huge impact on the way I saw the society that I live in. And it made me hope that one day, these people would have better living conditions here in Brazil.
14
When a boy of 7yo I babysat long time ago in New York City asked me how I went to school in Africa ? I said after waking up at down, doing chores like fetching water from a long distance from out Village ,then cooked the food would be our launch then marched for 2 hours or so ( one way) to the school . Sometimes teachers didn’t bother to show up. He looked at me up and down, I know why ( how come you still alive ?). Then came his questions like: why didn’t you take a bus ? Or why didn’t your parents buy a car ? Cute! Then this article had one of the child asked me: a bus. But still ashamed of it! Different world ! Again congratulation on your success mister!
9
@Bibylava., First world problems, right? Americans of all stripes take everything for granted.
1
This is really a day, week, month, year brightener. Many ride buses, but few consider the larger picture.
I'm so glad you made it through. Sounds like you are ready to help others, too.
Congratulations, and please keep up the good work.
10
"...as I enter into my freshman year of real life..."
Mr Wood, you have been living 'in the real world' for a long my time. Most of the people you saw while riding the bus and attending prep school were not nearly as wellengaged in the world as you were. You were present and sensitive to your surroundings.
You are also a very good writer.
Whatever your path through college and beyond, you will do much good. I wish you every success, and I thank you for sharing your insights.
9
@DJR. yes, you are a very good writer. I could almost picture the people (and the little girl) that you wrote about. I also hope that you may consider going into politics. I appreciate your mentioning that we all get ahead because of the help of others, that it's nearly impossible to do it all by ourselves. I hope that your hard-working father is still alive to see where his great efforts have taken you. He must be a wonderful man. I am in awe of you both and very grateful to have read your story.
7
I often think of TIME magazine article from 2016 time.com/superfamilies where extremely successful siblings discuss what made them who they are today.
Things like experiencing hardship and meeting adversity already early in life as well as being offered unusual independence and having to rely on your own wits as a child seemed to be determining factors.
I wish you, and believe you will have, all the success you deserve
1
And, SO? I took two buses each way to Junior High in The Bronx, then, two years later, a subway ride to the old Science High School building to get in an hour of swimming workout before taking another subway to the new Science building, and then a good walk from the train to the school. After classes, which included a before school extra credit science experiment class, I took a subway into Harlem for more swimming workouts at a public pool, as Science did not have a pool, just a MURAL! But WTH, my commute taught me about HARD WORK, while trying to avoid the hoodlums that preyed on the students on the subway and on the walk to school. Now folks, pull up your pants and stop complaining that not enough is done for YOU!
1
even though I can technically afford to drive my car (and park) to work, I have begun to use the bus again. yes, you see the whole cross-section of society on public transport, majority of them who are low income and at the bottom rungs of society. it keeps me grateful, humble and keeps me from voting republican just for my tax cuts.
11
Your story is inspiring and I’ll look for your book which, no doubt, will be equally insightful as well. Congratulations on graduating from college and I wish you all the best in the future.
2
I'm grateful to have read this!
Yes, Zachary Wood -- No matter what else you decide to do in this life, please keep writing.
5
I took the bus all through high school, and to work for a few years. I saw a corpse out the window, with multiple stab wounds in the back. I saw a building so fully engulfed in flames I couldn't see the building at all. I read many papers on the bus, sometimes scoring a physical copy of the London Times (This was before the Internet was widely available. ) And I saw poor people like me. True, it was an education. Even today, I still take the bus about once a month, taking advantage of the Senior Citizen fares. It is still an education.
3
As a big city bus driver myself, I was a little disappointed to not see any mention of drivers reaching out in the circumstances described by the author. I regularly hold the bus so people can get on and avoid freezing to death. I climb out of my seat and around the Lexan shield to help older people get on and get settled. I've seen all the stuff the author mentions and more.
I applaud him for reaching the same conclusion: Faced with all the suffering caused by poverty and, quite often, mental illness among those who must really on the bus to live, we must humble ourselves, do what we can to help those who need it, do what we must to be safe, and not turn away from the lessons for our own lives.
Bravo
563
@WheelWatcher Not sure which big city you drive in but if it is here in the Twin Cities I thank you for your service during the snow and cold of winter. You have a hard job.
3
@WheelWatcher
Thank you for this reminder of what hard working wonderful bus drivers do for our communities. My mother and I did not own a car when I was a child and rode the bus everywhere. Some of my fondest memories are of my daily interactions with our regular driver. We’d greet each other with jokes and compliments and exchange little gifts every once in a while. I think I may still have a rubber band ball he gave me (35 years ago)! A good bus driver makes you feel safe, cared for, and like you belong. Thank you!
4
@WheelWatcher Glad to see drivers like yourself. God bless you. Here in Montreal, unfortunately, most drivers do not behave that way. I have used public transportation here for 18 years. I still remember a (very) cold January morning in 2003, when my wife and I were pushing the baby stroller back from our local library, and the driver closed the doors...we were 4 feet from it! and restarted driving (they are suppose to check mirrors!)...the woman getting off the bus was outraged that despite her signaling the driver did not wait. Oh boy, it was chilly that afternoon. Sadly, examples like that are plenty; of course once in a while I find drivers who are all kindness and empathy...but I would say too few. Those mean drivers need to remember their living is getting out of paying customers. I wish we had more compassionate and human drivers here.
My teenage son commutes 4 hours a day to get to high school also. But here in New York, it costs 439.00 a month. And that is with a student discount! And by the way, he attends a very prestigious school in nyc that luckily is tuition free. Extreme commuting is becoming the norm.
82
@Mickey My daughter attended a private, prestigious girls' prep school on financial aid, but the City of Boston provided her with a T pass for free. She was entitled to it as a resident, the same as a public school student would be. It doesn't sound fair to me that you have to pay so much for your son to get to school.
5
@Mickey Why does it cost so much? A full price unlimited monthly metro card is only $121 and grants unlimited access to most buses, all subways, and the SI Ferry. The buses reach most neighborhoods in the city, so with a 2 hour commute each way I assume your son isn't also taking taxis, Even if he is, I can't wrap my head around the additional $300/month.
2
It’s probably to pay for the metro north plus a metro card.
2
I am an adult in a major American city and I take the bus to work and back every single day, and every day is, as Mr. Wood says, an education - about America and the scores of nameless, broken down people who ride the bus. Compared to what I've seen on public transit in capital cities around the world, it is truly a heartbreaking sight on a daily basis. This is the richest country on earth, and we should be doing better for our citizens, because we can. The question is, why don't we?
307
@Karekin Because, for some reason, Americans have been brainwashed by the right wing into thinking that the rich deserve more and the poor deserve nothing.
4
We are a nation of bigots. No matter what the propaganda of equality, it is far from equal and it never will be. Pity doesn’t work, most Americans are selfish, still prejudiced individuals. Arrogance rules. This so called President is an example of the divide. It only gets worse. Our country is just to big to be the so called “haven” for all. Sad.
3
@Karekin - Why doesn't society do better for the disadvantaged? Greed at the top.
1
Nothing in my commute was as starkly dramatic as Mr. Woods', but between 1958 and 1968 I took the subway first to Hunter High and then a combination of busses / trains to City College from the Bronx and also learned a great deal. I too left home especially early after a shockingly disgusting experience in the crush on the IRT express when I was in the 8th grade.
Indeed, commuting on public transportation provides and education in itself - both good and bad. There were no real choices for me - I could take advantage of fine educational opportunities or not. Now I live where public transportation is virtually nonexistent and must drive everywhere. Even sidewalks are rare in most of the county. Many great memories of long ago when I could explore a wonderful city with such relative ease - where there was always so much to do and see.
71
@JSH busses are kisses.
Although I was not at all impoverished, my family was not nearly so well off as many of my peers at my DC private school. I too spent up to 3 hours a day commuting by public bus through some of DC’s worst neighborhoods back in the early 60’s, and felt ashamed I did not live in the Northwest it Montgomery County like most. And I saw things I wish I had not. But I too look back on the experience of seeing the black maids commuting to their jobs as key lessons in developing empathy and a passion for social justice.
120
Starting college at 24 yrs old in Houston in 1979, I rode the bus for nearly six years. No shelters, exposed to the daily summer rains and biting cold winter wind, I learned from the women around me.
The umbrella is not just for the rain but protection from the brutal sun. More often than not I would be the only Anglo (aka white person) on the bus and I used that opportunity to improve my Spanish.
My fellow riders were on their way to clean houses, wash dishes, prep restaurant food, care for others children, all the jobs that the “poor” (and illegal) do for the Anglo community.
I got to know many of my fellow riders and received encouragement and prayers from them in my quest for a degree and the opportunities that would come with it. When I graduated, many came to my party and celebrated with me and for me.
Riding the bus is not easy, but if you’re on the bus, you’re on way somewhere. To school, to work, to the library. The person on the bus is making a bigger effort to get where they’re going. Get out of their way.
299
@Solamente Una Voz
I'm quoting you to friends and family.
1
@Solamente Una Voz
For Only One Voice,...not bad! I'm keeping that last paragraph as a daily reminder during my almost daily rides on DC's L2. My motto for the DC bus system has long been "Metro. When getting there doesn't matter." Maybe your comment will help me develop a kinder perspective.
@Solamente Una Voz
"biting cold winter wind" Must not be in the Houston most of us know.
Fourth lesson--Strength. Most people around the world ride the bus. It prevents pollution from single occupancy vehicles. We need the strength to ride the bus instead.
5
It's disgraceful in this rich country that every child doesn't have access to the very best education and the very best circumstances to achieve it.
Congratulations Mr. Wood. I'm sure I won't be remiss by saying we're all pulling for you. Best of everything and thank you for the wake up call many of us need in times like these.
140
@mj
It's disgraceful in this rich country that every child doesn't have access to the very best education and the very best circumstances to achieve it.
---
It is a proven fact that Norway is much richer than the USA, from offshore oil and thrift, and no debt. Norway is 90% white, arrests unlawful immigrants, and government workers hector their "clients." If that's what you want, please join the MAGA crew.
Mr. Wood, best wishes on your graduation. Please do something meaningful -- go to the front lines and fix something, STAT. Thanks.
What comes to mind in reading this essay? That the United States of America is really, really bad at "we" and really good at "me, my, and mine" as the focal point of freedom and liberty.
Thus we think that driving around in our personal pod (car) is an expression of freedom, while riding a public bus, tram, or train is not, even though in the former you are not free to sleep, read, text, phone, or watch your screen, while in the latter you are!
I ride the public buses and trains every week in Seattle and I love it. Usually, just the people watching is sufficiently entertaining that I don't feel the need to take out a book or a smart phone.
I loved your essay, Mr. Wood, and I commend you (and other commenters) for your (their) take-away insights into what rubbing shoulders with their fellow humans gains them.
220
Wonderful essay.
As a 20-something utility worker in a new city, I rented a cheap apartment in a poor neighborhood a short walk from the bus stop.
Every morning it was the same time and many of the same people got on the bus. We knew each other by sight, exchanged smiles and friendly nods but nobody spoke. All races, all colors. The drivers were consummate professionals, never slowing down or faltering.
I remember so vividly in the morning we all had clean clothes, the women had perfume, the bus smelled so great and everyone was happy, anticipating a good day at work.
The trip home was much different. The smell of perfume and cologne was totally absent, we were tired, not fresh and clean anymore. This happened every day.
We were the poor working folk and the story lives on. They silently bear their burden one day at a time. The people were wonderful, you could see it. But after a day of hard work the smiles on their faces, the spark, the energy was all but gone.
20
Though my husband ( banker ) and I are financially comfortable, our four children went to a poverty 1 and ESL elementary school. It was a great education for them. It taught them the realities of life and empathy for those less fortunate. I believe it has made them kind, yet strong and will serve them well in the future.
10
You have benefited from a truly WELL ROUNDED education, understanding that was you learned on a public transit bus was integrated with your excellent education. Keep it up and keep writing books to truly enlighten black and white people.
13
And Trump announced to his wealthy members at his palatial hideaway in Florida "I've just made you all a lot richer." Shameful. Makes me sick to think about the tax cut that saved him and his pals millions while five year olds ride a bus alone in dirty clothes. Is that who we are now?
32
@L Yes, that is exactly who we are now, or at least those Americans, in the minority, who hold the levers of power. If you, me, or anyone ever need a reason or motivation to vote, think of that five year old in the dirty t-shirt. Who votes for her? Who makes sure the bus continues to run so she can get wherever she needs to go in safety?
Godspeed, Mr. Wood.
12
Ah! So nicely written!
4
You forgot one other ingredient that comes through loud and clear in your article: compassion.
22
@kdpazz thank you for mentioning compassion. The love for all of those Mr. Woods encountered on that bus speaks to an empathy that will guide him at least as much as the wisdom he's accumulated on those long rides to and from.
And as for that little girl, thank you for providing us all with a searing image of why we continue the good fight.
6
Please enter politics and run for president someday. The sooner the better.
17
@Agrippina
I was thinking the same.
1
@Agrippina
Well said!
1
Small s, socialism at work.
A benefit for all.
11
Well done, you. Keep writing!
9
What an inspiration you are for all of us, Zachary. May you reach your goals and fulfill your dreams.
4
Good luck in life, Zachary! It sounds like you have a great foundation for a good future.
5
What a wonderful read. Thank you.
Best of luck Mr. Wood.
2
Congratulations on your graduation! Thank you for sharing your reflection on your experience and the lessons it taught you. Leading an “examined life” is key to becoming a thoughtful, compassionate, and concerned citizen, and you are well on your way. I hope you will continue to use your education and your voice to advocate for all those people who do not have the same opportunities you have had. I try to do the same.
6
Beautiful piece Zachary. Thank-you.
1
We should take away car services and drivers and issue transit passes to Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and all of the Trump administration. It might change their"let them eat cake" attitude.
34
Beautiful essay on what makes us American.
The children of privilege could benefit from riding public transportation to obtain an education.
22
I am glad I read your story! Good luck! Best wishes!
14
Good luck Mr. Woods in your next journey. I think you are someone who will pay it forward, I hope so.
18
"This was a problem because I didn’t have a printer, or high-speed internet, so I couldn’t print out my essays at home the night before they were due. "
I don't understand why a school willing to provide generous financial aide couldn't make the (very) small accommodations that would be required to address this problem, like lending the writer a printer or slightly adjusting the assignment due-date.
9
@Walter Reisner Here in Jefferson County, Tennessee the only people who have Internet live in towns that have Comcast or Charter cable available. Poor people, and there are many in this rural area, have to go to fast food restaurants or a library to use it. That presumes that they have working vehicles and money for gas. The school district this year provided laptops to students in sixth grade and above. There is a $30 fee. A very poor family I know was drastically affected by that fee, which took food from their mouths. Now, they have to drive about ten miles to Taco Bell so that their child can do her homework. Our legislature refuses to allow utilities to install high speed fiber optic cable. Let them eat cake! I’m using an expensive Verizon jet pack for WiFi. Happily, I can afford it.
4
@Brenda Snow
In well off suburban Philly my daughter had to cut back cable among other penny pinching to stay up on the rent and food as a single mother of 1. Luckily her daughter is just entering 3rd grade..but not having the internet meant she could not even access her daughter's final grade and now homework will call on internet and submission to her teachers or a zero on the assignment. Schools need to keep some old-fashioned paper route...especially in rural areas where internet service is not available. Fail a child because Comcast or Verizon do not see their area as profitable? Outrageous. Meantime, I am gifting my daughter with the internet only bill each month...so her daughter may succeed.
1
Here's the problem: not that you had shame to overcome, but that you were ashamed in the first place. That's more telling that you know. It suggests that even as a child you regarded yourself as other, better, than those around you, and now here you are, after all is said and done, better off than most. Others endured poverty "because they were committed to caring and providing for [...] their families." But you had other commitments, to your better, true self: "Seeing these people every day taught me that succumbing to the exhaustion and distress I often felt wasn’t an option if I wanted to achieve my dreams." Thanks hard-working Dad; thanks beneficent rich people's private school; thanks to you and luck (and me not succumbing), I can now be me. You say childhood poverty taught you humility, but here you are selling a liberal variation of the same old self-congratulatory American snake oil. "Dream the dream." The convention of that dog-eared genre is that poverty is a nightmarish evil out of which we ought help talented, deserving kids rise. You oblige with a nightmare portrait of life on the bus, in perfectly well-heeled prose. [Cue the applause.] It's an old crowd-pleaser and utter moral nonsense. There will always be poor people. The way to redress poverty, with true compassion and civic responsibility, is to restore dignity to it, to take away its worst fears and consequences, such that no child of poverty nor any adult ever be twisted by shame.
11
@RRI That's an interesting perspective. Thanks for posting it. As someone of minor privilege, I didn't read his article as you did. Your words taught me something that his didn't (because it's not a new story) though both of you "used well-heeled prose."
2
@RRI
I read the comments board because I knew there would be someone who tried to turn this negative. Congrats—you get curmudgeon award of the week.
I believe you missed the point of the article. Mr Wood no longer feels shame about his social status as a child. In fact, at some point in his life he will turn that struggle into a source of pride. The privileged few can never match a story of overcoming challenges like his.
I don’t know how you can both acknowledge there will always be poverty and in the same breadt claim it should not be a source of shame. Unless you’re advocation for some sort of institutionalized caste system where class mobility is forbidden, then it is human nature to expect that those on the low end of the socio-economic spectrum will want to do better for their children. Shame is a human emotion like pride and gratitude and humility. You’re not just going to wish it away.
5
@RRI - You claim the author is the purveyor of "nonsense" but are guilty of that yourself. Your one salient point is that, "The way to redress poverty....is to take away its worst fears and consequences...." You conclude that if doing so would free them from shame. While that conclusion is really dubious, let's consider what taking away some of the worst "fears and consequences" of poverty would look like: having safe drinking water and enough healthy food to eat, affordable medical care, freedom from exploitation by those with more power/money (an aside - where do you think shame comes from?). Does this look more like Bernie Sanders' or Donald Trump's America ?
"Blessed are the poor" is not a recommendation for making sure the people currently in poverty stay that way. But it aptly describes the benefits of humility, gratitude and resilience, something that seems to be lacking in the empathy-lacking, mammon-seeking Randians that seem to overpopulate the GOP these days.
3
In Alberta, tuition is cheap at university. My office was well-designed. The view of the river and woods beside it was through a picture window. But the thin and old clothes worn by the cleaning woman were always throwaways or would have been in my house, until the day I saw her not bent over in rags, but standing, in a new wool coat with a high fur color, fur-lined boots on the feet, and a new hairdo. Makeup too.
We spoke and I complimented her on her outfit to which she, almost embarrassed, replied, "I am going to my son's graduation tonight, from medical school. And he insists I finally stop." I fought back tears. As she left, I remembered I had never known her last name. I didn't ask that night because I was the shamed person. Bless her knees and palms, and, oh, her heart. I had never taken a penny from my folks after I was 15, my dad bragged a while later. Yes, but I had never been on my knees for my child's future...
109
@drbobsolomon
Beautiful.
2
Mr. Wood saw the cost of tax cuts for the wealthy. He witnessed the human cost of demonizing people living in difficult situations so that military contractors, millionaire senators, and CEOs can live in unimaginable luxury. He saw the true American values of survival of the fittest (which, as the Spenser who coined the phrase said, did not mean the best). He witnessed the dog-eat-dog of our so-called "greatness". He saw the truth. A society is judged by its treatment of the young, the elderly, and the most vulnerable members. By that yardstick, we are anything but great. We should be deeply ashamed. We should vow and vote to be better than this.
30
Excellent. Blessed are the poor in spirit...
6
Attitude. Many people having to undergo the ordeals of Mr. Wood's transportation to school would be bemoaning their lot. It's truly refreshing to read that, rather than complaining, he sought out and found the advantages to his arduous commute.
19
A beautiful essay. I would have liked to read about the parents and whether they instilled a desire to learn and excel from his earliest years. My parents had no college but started on us kids practically from the day we were born on the need for education and hard work. I’m sure that is the main reason I got through college and law school and had a wonderful career.
14
What a great article!. Resilience, gratitude, humility are wonderful qualities.
18
Mr. Wood, you make me proud. I wish more people were as wise as you are.
Best of luck.
42
Good for you - and, yes, especially # 3. It is, indeed, a myth that those who have earned it all themselves. Oh, many have worked hard, but there are advantages both obvious and subtle, which can truly make the difference. Sometimes that difference is race or gender or being born into a better socio-economic situation. Other times that difference is one (or two) parents who offer determination, love, support, and encouragement, even if they don't have many material resources. Then too, some folks are simply born with skills and talents which give them a leg up in the world.
Congratulations on being a thoughtful young man who can benefit even from mundane experiences. That, too, is a skill and an advantage.
44
Thank you for sharing your story of determination. I admire your fortitude and belief in your abilities while acknowledging the help of others in the achievement of your goals. I also rode the bus to a community-based school. I used the time to read and study.
9
My daughter will be proud. She takes public transport wherever she travels in the country. Even if it takes hours. Even if it means changing several buses or train combinations. She too has learned resilience humility dignity and tremendous gratitude for all the people who constitute America and use its public transport to get around.
20
@Petey Tonei, Oh my son too takes only the subway or bus in NYC, a combination to get to the Bronx. A couple times he had to uber cuz the No 2 train didn't show up. Yesterday he said it felt like 103 deg! "Subways are just unreal, probably 108-9 Deg F down there without even factoring humidity". Resilience, tolerance, patience and delayed gratitude as soon as he sits inside a subway car which has AC running. Phew!
1
I had an inkling of how difficult life can be when I was posted to a temporary assignment in Okinawa during military service. If I ventured off base, I found myself in a world where I could not read or write. A sign could say DANGER and I would have no way to know it. I can only imagine what life is like for a four year old child coming to America from a non-English speaking country.
We all have difficulties in life. Some can be easily overcome and others are more challenging. Thank you, Mr. Wood, for your touching essay. It is clear you have found help through many people to get where you are and equally clear you will pay it forward. Best wishes.
21
It seems to me that Mr. Wood has gained the wisdom of the Stoics very early in his life, wisdom that eludes most of us over the course of a long life. Imagine how different the world would be today if Donald Trump had learned the virtues of gratitude, resilience, and humility.
43
Well said, but unfortunately America is lost. We have forgotten our ideals. There is no answer. It is the way of the way of the world.
6
"But I also know that there were many young men and women whose attitudes toward life, family and education would have been vastly different if they’d benefited from a fraction of the opportunities I’d found thanks to an extremely hard-working father and the luck of an excellent education".
Ay, there's the rub. Zachary's father was there for him. Certainly we all need support and help to better ourselves but the best support comes from intact families (and for young men the role model of a reliable father) that provide support and encouragement not from "baby fathers".
24
Agree because single mothers make up one of the poorest groups in our country. Young women and especially boys need love and guidance from two parents to direct them to bettering themselves through education and not drugs or pregnancy. The family that surrounds you will often define you.
6
@Ian But Zachary doesn't mention a "mom" at home. So perhaps it doesn't require an intact family?
2
Once knew a man who, like the admirably persevering Mr. Wood, had a long commute, via NYC subways, which he spent studying his textbooks, through four years of high school.
Upon achieving the college of his choice, in a quiet academic town, he found it the unaccustomed quiet made it difficult for him to concentrate. But it became easy for him to study--as long as he he played loud tapes of subway noise . . .
8
In the Netherlands all students get a free public transport pass. Public transport for students is the norm. Since people are used using it they keep using it after graduation. Also less cars is less of a burden in inner cities.
46
Today I rode mass transit conversed with a young mentally impaired man on the first leg, a young African-American on the second leg, qne a father with a toddler on the last leg. If more of us rode the bus more often, the world would be a better place.
26
I take public transit — local and transbay busses, bart and muni trains, ferries, commuter rail, etc., in some combination and form every day. I’ve done likewise nearly every day of my life since childhood, in many different cities. Public transportation is a “little d” democratic space, the commons where we can learn compassion for others, hone strategies of self care, and bear witness to the world.
41
Wonderful essay. It's heartening to have a testimonial to the fact that young people--well, any people--have their eyes open and the capacity to reflect.
This summer I had the chance to visit multiple generations of my big extended family, a group of extraordinarily and really unbelievably good and hard working people. You could see exactly where a little extra money, or a little extra mentoring, made the difference in terms of socioeconomic success of the grandchildren.
No one has 'made it' alone.
40
Gratitude, resilience and humility...priceless
23
"My experience has taught me that pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is a myth: Achieving social mobility requires far more than will and ability. It’s nearly impossible to rise without other people helping you pull yourself up."
Well done and well said.
Anyone reading this flip on a light switch today?
To cook or study or bathe the kids or greet your wife or watch TV or work on your car in the garage?
How many people contributed to that light going on?
How much research on electricity and the parts of the grid?
How much spending as a society to build the infrastructure?
How many workers and scientists and engineers?
Individual effort in service to a common cause is what keeps the lights on.
It's also what keeps a society from being a jungle.
You, we, are not alone.
53
Mr. Wood is best known for his politics, not his use of public transportation. He is front and center in the debate over whether racist and otherwise offensive speakers should be given a voice on our campuses.
Mr. Wood is an outspoken champion of the First Amendment rights of racists, sexists, and anti-Semites. And while there is something to be said on both sides of this debate, it is inappropriate for him to portray himself as a heroic figure, ignoring his support of the highly offensive.
My point isn't that Mr. Wood is wrong. My point is that his views are deeply puzzling and need to be defended. He tells us that the poor need the support of others to make it, but that those who speak out against such support deserve a prominent voice in public dialogue. In short, he is saying that those who oppose his special treatment should be given a public platform. If he believes that the KKK deserves a prominent voice, then he needs to say that rather than lionizing his bus rides to school.
8
@michjas That isn't accurate. He thinks it's better to engage and expose people with troublesome ideas, rather than pretend they don't exist.
Being in denial about the (surprisingly often) majority sexist and racist views in this country is costing progressives dearly. We're often in our bubbles, isolating ourselves from any possible exposure and debate, then surprised when voting day rolls around, and we find ourselves in the minority.
Anti-feminism, racism, and anti-Semitism are common in this country, though often under the surface. The average American DOES say things like "we don't need feminism anymore," "blacks have issues with their culture," or "look, Jews are controlling all the banks." It is important that progressives understand what we are up against, rather than preaching to the choir or similarly progressive people.
I'm similarly a minority, and I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Wood. I am confident my views are more logical and moral, I am confident I can defend them. I am not threatened by debate, or hearing a hateful but common opinion.
8
@michjas When the unpopular speak their piece, as offensive as it may be to many ears, we should celebrate that the First Amendment is protecting them as it is us. The First Amendment cannot be selectively used as a defense. It applies to all except for yelling "fire" in a theatre. From your message, we now know that Mr. Wood's has learned even more with or without his bus rides, an appreciation of wanting to give all a space to speak - to work the First Amendment. If the KKK can publicly speak, so can you.
5
If you were to read the landmark US Supreme Court cases that establish freedom of speech, you would find these cases struck down government prior restraints against speech of just the sort you bemoan here. As disheartening as it is to see racist, xenophobic, homophobic, plain nasty speech given a safe space, it is the price we pay for freedom. The remedy for speech and ideas we find troublesome is not restraint, but more speech.
8
Excellent piece; overcome, adapt, improvise.
10
I rode the bus in Houston, TX. From my house in the Rice Village/Med Center area to my very-well compensated job downtown. I noticed the following on my journeys...
1) the driver was rarely looking for anyone at my stop - people from my neighborhood didn't get on the bus at 6:00 in the morning - I learned about reflective gear...
2) in the mornings, I watched Hispanic women, who were on the bus before me, get off at a stop before Whole Foods. The bus route turned left at Whole Foods, and at the next stop, the white men started getting on for the 1.5 mile trip downtown.
3) The afternoon bus was on time - once. The rest of the time, it was +/- 30 mins, even with the real-time-bus-tracking-app on my phone,
4) There was a blind man on the bus one afternoon, with a service dog, as I was reading "Thunder Dog" (book about a guide-dog helping her partner to safety on 9/11). It truly moved me. Never again did I see a blind man on that bus, but the magic of the two (man and dog/event and book) was amazing.
5) There were scary characters on the bus in the afternoons sometimes. Then, the stop before mine (sometimes two or three), they'd pull the cord, stand up with their ladies, and get off, talking about what they were going to buy on Upper Kirby or in the Village. Perfectly Normal American Consumers.
Oh, and the reason I was riding the bus? I needed to loan my hybrid car (Ford C-Max, BTW, Made in America) to our summertime nanny.
Yes.
The twisted, conflicted, messy, reality of life.
24
Beautiful and uplifting.
10
Thank you for providing an insight that, so clearly stated, helps me understand and empathize with the plight of my fellow citizens and neighbors. These lessons are valuable and a strong reminder of the compassion that is needed in our world to collectively ensure a better future for all of us.
14
531,862 thank yous for this excellent piece. I would love to make it required reading.
22
Thanks, Mr. Wood.
The issue of shame for taking public transportation is something that can be hard to unlearn, but an acquaintance from work - a successful, middle-aged black man from the South - had a sudden re-education when he came up once to Chicago from the small city lives in (and where buses are for The Poor in everyone's mind). He took a bus here, and reported to me with wonder in his voice that "You can see everybody on the buses in Chicago".
There's no shame in getting from point A to point B no matter how the trip's accomplished. And too many in America don't understand that "public" transportation is open to all. Maybe the young people today who seem to be a bit less fixated on cars will bring that understanding back.
23
@b fagan, boy do I agree with you. I grew up in New Orleans, which has always had an excellent public transit system, consisting of buses and its famous “steetcar” (erroneously called a trolley by tourists and the residents of San Francisco). As a result, I grew up riding a public bus (or steetcar) everywhere I wanted or needed to go. And I am white and middle class.
As a Tulane Law student, I rode the Freret St bus downtown to my law clerk job after class each day. Most of us did this because parking downtown was limited and expensive. That bus went through some pretty rough neighborhoods where you prayed the bus didn’t break down cause you didn’t want to get stuck there... but you rode the bus anyway. People smelled bad on that bus...but you rode it anyway.
As an attorney with a downtown law firm I rode the Nashville Express to work everyday. So did my neighbor attys, including a partner in a big impt law firm. There were people from all walks of life on that bus. Some were rich, some were poor, some smelled bad. We rode the bus together.
I’m retired now and live in a different city with no public transit worth noting. We have buses but so few you almost never see them. People from the wrong side of town have trouble getting jobs because they can’t afford cars and the rest of the town live in their cars. When the mayor tried to raise taxes to pay for an expanded bus system, it failed. Why? “We don’t want to ride the bus with the kind of people who ride buses.” Sad.
11
Mr. Wood, your insights and your achievements in the face of adversity are inspiring. Yours is the second story of courageous determination that I read tonight; the first was that of Mayor Andrew Gillum, Florida's new Democratic candidate for governor. I am wishing you both great success, as the world needs more heroes.
19
Zachary, reading your account as a striver and survivor, contrasted with the accounts of the likes of Joe Arpaio, who tries to squash the hopes and dreams of those he considers beneath him, I say, "Zachary, you've got my vote."
21
My wife Roxanne did the same thing through four years of college in suburban New Jersey. Thank you for writing this. As far as stories relating to your many bus rides, I'm sure your essay here barely scratches the surface.
15
I commuted 2 hours each way from the suburb in which I was raised to Barnard College, at 116th Street and Broadway, in Manhattan. I walked to the train station, lugging my books, boarded the train, changed trains at Jamaica, took the second train to Penn Station, walked across Penn Station to the 7th Avenue IRT express to 72nd. them took the #1 local to 116th street .At the end of the day, I did this in reverse. on the Harlem Line in the late 1970's-early '80s, when the City was a dangerous place. That subway ride was a very frightening ride for while Orthodox 17 year old girl.
In December of my Freshman year, the New York City transit workers went on strike. I had to take the A train from Far Rockaway to the City.I moved into the closet of a cousin who lived in a walk up apartment on 57th Street until the strike ended. A few months later, the LIRR workers went on strike along with the City transit workers. I moved onto the floor of a friend in Barnard .
I didn't feel ashamed that I was commuting 2 hours each way from the suburbs to Barnard, taking four trains each way. I needed to get from my home to Barnard, just as I need to get to a Yeshiva in Manhattan from my suburb. and to commute to the City to work, later on. as do hundred of thousand of other Long Islanders.
I needed to get from point A to point B. Where is the shame in that ?
17
"I needed to get from point A to point B. Where is the shame in that ?"
I wrote a similar response, about the ubiquity of such commutes among the students at NYC's specialized high schools, but it seems that it wasn't deemed worthy, so I will second your response.
4
Having just watched Mr. Wood's Ted Talk on "Why it's worth listening to people we disagree with," and now having read this piece, I'm moved by Zachary R. Wood.
He demonstrates that a bright mind and a strong spirit can find ways to overcome. Some of us wonder about the capacity of our intellect or our will to succeed.
Thanks to Mr. Wood, we have a glimpse of what it looks like--to try and be our best selves and overcome.
19
@JOCKO ROGERS
Seems like you kind of missed the point -- Mr. Wood's crowning point is that trying usually isn't enough, and that it also took good fortune for him to succeed. I admire his humility and keen insight.
25
Beautiful. The tenor of this essay reminded me of Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem, “Kindness.” I urge everyone to read it.
14
The world owes you and me -Nothing.
Mr. Zachary R. Wood has past haunts reminded me of once I came and where I never wish to return. Yet, his words also itched and hinted at an unfairness. My own feeling of unfairness? I do not yet know. Yet, in his words, there was an unquestionable torn feeling of gratitude and blame that has the rhythm of a sad travelers poem. I am painfully reminded that I started not far from where he once did, yet never had the chance to make it as far as he has. Unknown to those who look only in one direction; White privilege does seem to pick and choose its winners.
I have been forced to understand that being humble is something that is always found. Looking past and out my own bus window, I know that blaming others is nothing more than an excuse for not wanting to accept ones plot in life. Is it fair? Is it just? Does it matter? That really all depends on who is asking. Looking at how the world has to turn out and how it was supposed to turn out, I now understand that the past sparks of revolution are born not out of humility or pride. Revolutions of change are started by those who want a real feeling of belonging in a world that seems to be constantly telling them otherwise.
9
@Allen Yeager Your words are poetry as well.
I shared this experience with you. Mine was a 1.5 hour commute to an elite public school each way as a poor minority student who'd lost his father at the end of middle school. There is everything you shared, and still so much unsaid. No matter how much success you find later, those experiences and indeed those lessons never leave you.
I'm grateful to you to know I wasn't alone in those kinds of experiences.
41
Mr. Wood, amazing essay - thank you for sharing! I love that you see rainbows through these hardships. I hate to disappoint but life is full of them. Keep those life skills you learned - and continue to sharpen them. Look forward to read more from you.
17
Obviously you are the kind of person who would find the lesson in any experience, and benefit by it. I remember my days riding buses regularly, and how I actually became part of a community of regular riders who would look out for each other. Our destinations were different, but for a time we had friends in transit.
25
Thank you for sharing your inner light with this increasingly dark world. Your intelligence will open up opportunities, but it's your resilience, gratitude, and humility that will enrich you and push you beyond the plane of tangible success. Hurry up and become president!
46
In recent years, as I took my three-hour-round-trip urban commute to work every day, it occurred to me that if more people like me (white, middle class) took public transportation through the poorest neighborhoods of our city as I did, it would go a long way towards bridging racial divisions (if we all bring some humility and compassion and gratitude along for the ride).
It is our isolation that makes us most fear each other in America today. We believe that guns will make us safe, that excluding the "other" will somehow elevate us, that hate is the poison we can drink without it making us sick.
Mr. Wood, thank you for building a bridge to understanding through your thoughtful and honest essay.
122
Excellet essay. You will go far, and hopefully once you get there, you will not forget these lessons.
24
Thank you so much for your essay. Your story is enormously important in this country of "freedom and justice for all."
26
To me, public transportation is a great equalizer. My children are the better for it. It seems, Mr. Wood, you are too.
69
Dear Mr Wood, the description of social status and the difficulties of obtaining social movement, look so similar as the way things are in Mexico City, waiting for a bus at 5:16 and taking 2 hours from there to school, no lunch at all, crime scenes, people giving everything they have for a better life for theyre children, talking about homeless people, is amazing how working hard labor city people can live in such similar ways as your description of commuting
40
Zach, The Prep School in the suburbs should be ashamed, not you. I know you are grateful for the scholarship. But, the scholarship should have been more intelligent. Can't the School provide living space near it? And then, you are free to ride the Bus home, to visit, when. you want. That way it really does start to look like a thoughtful, intelligent, scholarship.
I now question the quality of education and student services that this suburb Prep School provides. Thus, now, the full paying Students and their Families may not be receiving the best that they should be receiving, that they think they are receiving.
Since you just finished the undergraduate degree, let me encourage you to continue on to Graduate School. Let me inform you, if you haven't been, there are 52 Grades, in all, in the Hierarchical School Structure. That is past the Ph.D and also the Post Doctorate.
And if you do very well, upon finishing School, at 52 years old, you get a certified Brilliant IQ Score on your Resume Report Card. A Top Level position. Zach, brilliance is a wonderful color. And is also the 4th state of being of the chemical chart. It is not a gas, solid, or liquid. It is truly a fantastic state of being. Become that. ---- My creative writing skills helped me on Homework Assignments all the way through this 52 Grades Structure. It looks like yours can help you. Intelligence is Power.
8
Wow.
If only Betsy DeVos could read and comprehend this reality.
We have a long way to go. But this essay shows there can be a promised land if we just work towards it.
Thank you.
93
Your essay is a beacon. Keep shining on.
52
Yes, I understand there was some educational value, but mostly reading about this commute made me sad. It's too bad the writer couldn't have been a boarder in a room nearby his school during the week.
13
My grandparents boarded my mother with a family so she could be closer to her School. She never recovered from the trauma.
19
Thoughtful and thought-provoking, as well as inspiring. Thank you for this lovely essay and congratulations on graduation. I wish you the best. And look forward to reading more of your work, too. :-)
27
I watched and listened carefully a few nights ago, Mr. Wood, as you appeared on a late-night talk show and told your story. I found you riveting, and the wisdom you expressed belied your young age. I was delighted to hear you say you aspire to become president of the United States. You've already got my vote. (Please hurry up and run soon).
166
Congrats, Mr. Wood! I especially like what you wrote about resilience. Like you, I also grew up with a hard-working single mom who made sure we obtained the best education possible. These days, I consult at a prestigious university and have taught a fair number of students from privileged backgrounds. What I have found is that they often do not have the diligence, resilience, and, especially, resourcefulness of kids from "grittier" backgrounds. Studying or working long hours, trying to understand physics, etc. is nothing when you've faced poverty, starvation, violence, racism, etc. previously. Adversity has its gifts.
41
@ms. I enjoyed the essay too but for different reasons, I think, than you did.
None of the people I’ve met ever found upper division physics easy, let alone graduate level, even if they had also faced poverty, hunger, violence, and racism.
Gritty backgrounds don’t always make resilience. If someone survives they will have certain skills yes but they might a) not survive or b) have such PTSD or such addictions that they aren’t going to do much physics. Let alone affording school, or getting financial aid with a criminal record, or a job etc.
It is one of the reasons this country has fewer scientists from backgrounds with these challenges.
You cannot simultaneously disrespect those organically deprived of “gritty underprivilege” and critically underestimate its deadliness. Wherever you consult, do you apologize?
7
@Virginia Sheesh, a little defensive are we?
Uplifting life story.
15
That is a fine, heartfelt essay. Thak you.
23
I rode the old DC Transit buses to school. It was a private school, the old Woodward School for Boys, which did not hold the cachet of Bullis or Landon.
The morning commute was on one of the 3X buses down Wisconsin Ave. I always held out for a 37, that turned after the Cathedral and went down Mass Ave. instead of down through Georgetown.
In the afternoons, The trip on the N4, that terminated at 44th and Jennifer, a short walk from home, was a time to unwind. If the unwind wasn't working, I'd get off at Western Ave. and Fessenden, and take my time meandering across Ft. Bayard on my way back to the nest.
Yes, there was drama at times on the buses, but that was how we got around in those days. You may trust that there were no fancy cars dropping of f anyone at Woodward. Practical and pedestrian it was, but I got done helluvan education there. And saw a lot of life on my way there and back over the years.
The life experience gained on those buses is as much a part of me as the schoolwork.
27
Mr Wood, your essay is beautiful. It made me renew my belief in the best in us and gave me energy to continue my own journey. I had moments of struggle here and there, although nothing like what you faced. Your compassion, talent and strength will take you far. Thank you for sharing a ray from the light that is you.
39
Thank you for this important and poignant essay.
Somehow we have let the bootstrap mythology permeate American ideology. I grew up in rural Arkansas surrounded by many people who worked very, very hard day in and day out, but the disadvantages and obstacles they faced were insurmountable with no bootstraps in sight.
76
This is a beautiful essay. I am excited to see what you do next with your poignant insight and compassion towards others.
34
Thank you! A nice coda on an otherwise "bad day with the front page"
29
Wow, I am moved by your beautiful essay! Thank you so much for sharing how what otherwise would seem to be a mundane daily commute turns out to have been a life expanding experience. The wonders of humanity are all around us if we just open our eyes, minds and hearts! Bless you!
30
A very nice essay Thanks!
15
What an excellent article! I can really relate to it. It brings back memories that I now truly cherish. Like the author, I myself spent three years commuting 2 hours and 15 minutes each way to school all by public bus. But for me, it was a commute college, not college prep. And like the author, I used to feel very embarrassed about this fact. For instance, I'd lie about the length of my commute, making it much shorter. But now I'm glad for the experience, because it taught me exactly what it taught this author: gratitude, resilience, and humility. Sadly, however, I've had to constantly relearn these after my long commuting days. Hopefully, this author will be wiser than me. Best of luck!
34
Good Thoughts
Well put
These are important conversations and we don't normally have them.
Keep writing. America needs you Mr. Wood
26
Thank you for sharing. Such an inspiring article.
17
Me. Wood, congratulations for your lovely essay, and to remind us that despite your hardships, it was love, support, opportunity and your own maturity that made you an amazing young man. We need more of you in this world!
I look forward to reading more of your essays in the future.
21
I remember running and jumping on the bus to catch swimming lessons at the Y when I was a teenager. I asked a lady in the next seat "Is this the 50? It is a little early isn't it?" She said, "Oh this is the fifty too." I screamed, "Oh no I can't be late for the swim class again I need the 50 not the 52." She said, "Darling calm down this is the 50 also." She also asked if it wasn't too dark for me to be taking the bus around Cleveland. I said maybe so, but I was definitely too old to not know how to swim. The bus gave us freedom and a way to reach our dreams.
43
I escorted my son on his first day of a public HS orientation in NYC today. He (like his siblings did) will commute by subway. He regularly rides public transportation and has since MS. On our way to the HS, two very down and out people tried to find someone to swipe them into the subway. One subway car had a man sound asleep across the seats who looked like life had taken a toll on him. NYers, in the midst of 90 plus degree heat, took other seats and let him sleep. All of this in just 15 minutes. Riding the subway or bus in a city is for sure a place where humanity happens and children get to see what life is about, not just for themselves, but for others too. Thank you for this essay.
116
Really nice story!
City buses are about urban life. The above ground routes bring you close to street life - one neighborhood at a time - while sharing close space with a myriad of people.
I was hooked reading your article's title!
25
thank you Mr. Wood. I thought I had it hard, but I know that it has been easy when compared to others.
11
A unique and inspiring column. It certainly puts things in perspective for most of us. Thank you, Mr. Wood. Best wishes.
29
Thank you for sharing this inspiring essay. You no doubt have a successful life ahead and will help make the world a better place. Best wishes.
49
What a beautiful essay. I took the public bus from school and to the mall in my small PA town as a teenager. While I never saw the things that you did, it was a learning experience. Congrats and best of luck. You are an impressive young man.
42
I’ll be teaching this essay to my students. It’s btilliant and beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.
58
@Launa Schweizer
Agreed!!
4
Thank you for making my day a little bit brighter, Mr. Wood.
Your beautiful words give me hope that the good in most people will defeat the selfish souls that seem to have control of our political, social, health, and environmental platform these days.
Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.
Best of luck to all of us...
47
Powerful essay, and all too true, whereas too many are not even offered what you have gone through to get an education.
Furthermore, it is worse for those that are offered even that chance, but throw it away, by not soaking up all of the experiences and knowledge they possibly can.
I meself went through a long trek to school. We lived literally on the wrong side of the street. If we had lived on the other side of the street, then the school district would have offered a free bus pass. So because of that, me father thought it would build character walking the 3 miles. (heavy books and all - before the computer and smart phone age)
There was many a time that taunts were hurled as I walked along and the bus went by. There were many days I was tired, but I did soak up that education regardless.
In many more ways than that given just in the classroom.
46
This is a wonderful piece. I look forward to reading more.
I also could not help thinking that your pride in your father's hard work shone through--and that you were also helping him to achieve the American dream of your kids having it better than you.
83
This teacher thanks you for never giving up! Your dedication is so inspirational. I want to know what kept you going. What made you make it to the finish line? I struggle so hard to get my students to care for a few minutes- forget about the fortitude it takes for a young person to make a four hour bus ride!! What got you to turn the light on and keep it on? Amazing. Thank you for sharing this.
122
@DianaI
I love your questions.
I, too, would enjoy hearing more about made him "make it."
The answers are never simple and hard to weigh in terms of importance.
I am guessing that the models of father, and grandparents and how they treated him were like gold.
And that where he went to school was very enriching; we did not hear much about that.
I believe we so need inspiration from family, especially parents, if we are so lucky. If only parents understood how deeply they influence their children.
19
What a beautiful and inspiring essay. Thank you.
31
Thank you for sharing this, and for acknowledging the invaluable part your family and teachers have played in your success. Now, go out there, make the most of your education and opportunities, and be the man who uses what he has been given to help those who follow him.
21
Zachary, congratulations on graduating from college, and all the best in your career.
Like you, I went to a school [Duke], where I was in the lower quarter of the class in terms of socio-economic background. So, I worked to earn enough to pay for what student loans didn't cover. While this certainly wasn't ideal, it was necessary if I wanted to go to Duke.
It's concerning to read about the young child that you saw on the bus.
On metro today, there were many students in the pre-teen to teenage group, and a very few elementary-age kids accompanied by adults.
I hope that the girl you saw has an adult caring for her. If she's of school age, she should have a pass; so it's odd that she paid the fare by herself.
25
Congratulations! This was an inspiring and humble article. Ignore the judgmental comments people may make after reading your article. You obviously have what it takes to achieve anything upon which you set your mind. Best of luck to you.
21
Great story. Congratulations to you, son, for learning all your lessons so well. I had a very similar experience and upbringing to yours, albeit as a white kid. I, too, was ashamed at the time. Now I brag about it.
Best of luck in your future endeavors, Zachary Wood. You have been well raised, well schooled, and you are well prepared.
149
I had no idea that most of a million students faced the daily uncertainty of getting to school and home in one piece on a matro bus. Bullet-proof backpack indeed.
Talk about kids needing our prayers!
17
Part of the problem of our society is that many people are able to "have no idea how many students face the daily uncertainty" of...well, public transit is just a starter. Daily uncertainty of healthcare, food, etc. Affluent people have no idea of the thousand daily struggles of being poor. Meanwhile, the rich have so much money they literally can't spend it all. Even buying a senator doesn't put a dent in it, but apparently that's better than paying taxes. There is something rotten in the the state of our nation.
107
@L'osservatore
I thought avoiding taxes in Italy is considered an art form. And, any rich person who is paying all taxes due has very poor tax attorneys and CPA's. I know this, because I worked for some very rich attorneys in D.C. and CT. Yes, corporations do pay taxes; they also have tax departments where professionals work on nothing but corporate tax liabilities; some also establish corporate headquarters off shore to avoid taxes. Not all millionaires started out middle class; many inherited wealth, or family businesses. How do you come by the opinion that the writer refused to consider other people's sacrifices? I worked with women who commuted long distances to their jobs, because those jobs offered better wages, and benefits. Middle class families work to send their children on to college or university. I don't know how trades are regulated in Italy; in the U.S. it is nearly impossible to enter a plumber's, electrician's, carpenter's union without help from a family member. Congress has been whittling down prior tax deductions.
@L'osservatore: Wow, you have utterly missed Boggle's point!
1
What sometimes trips minorities (or anyone) is that, once out in the work place, the lessons of "it's nearly impossible to rise without someone to help pull yourself up," get downplayed as people navigate the parts of the work place that can be awkward/uncomfortable for them.
You appear to be a very good learner Mr. Wood, so perhaps, in addition to being watchful for this matter in your own path, you will pen writings that highlight and help others navigate through this very real minefield. Mentors and "guides" through the work world are at least as invaluable as those you found in your education.
26
You are clearly a good person. I wish you the best in all your endeavors. And for those of us who are born to privilege, let's remember to care for those who aren't.
26
Wonderful column. Thank you.
21
Thank you for this.
18
Nice piece, but be careful, Frank Bruni might scold you.
4
Mr. Wood, it looks like your dad's example and support combined with your intelligence, outlook and grit are what pulled you through. I haven't read your other work, but I will. Good luck in your endeavors.
31
Well said. We do not appreciate the incredible struggles many people face. We need to admire their strength under such circumstances.
Now if we could only figure out in the USA that the waste of such potential is obscene. If Europeans can understand the importance of basic health care, why can't more Americans?
61
@nicolo
If Americans can understand the importance of basic immigration policy, why can't more Europeans?
3
We know a woman who works seven or eight part-time jobs, cleaning houses, gardening, doing odd jobs. She lives in a basement with two school-age children. She does not complain, she just pushes doggedly forward, determined to give those two kids a better life. Her smile of gratitude when we give her a Christmas gift (always cash) is genuine and heartfelt. Her daughter was accepted to the top magnet school in the city, followed by admission, four years later, to the University of California. Mom still lives in that basement, but you can see in her face the relief she feels every day that one of her kids has made it out.
Without publicly funded schools, public transportation, free medical care and other evils of “big government”, this story would not have been possible. She could not have afforded to give her kids a shot even if she had 100 hours a day to work like a serf, and her daughter would likely be headed for the same life. Those who see no problem with that are either blindingly stupid, or, more likely, actually don't want the poor and brown to pull themselves up.
Meanwhile, liberals should focus on a positive message of upward mobility. Your article sets a good example. They ignore the corrosive effect of their constant harping on hopelessness and unfairness. A more positive message would help them in the fight to protect our public investments in people like you.
Thank you for your articulate and compelling piece!
285
@charles, your comment began in a positive tone, and then you chose to criticize "liberals".
If anyone is constantly harping on "unfairness", it is Donald Trump, who never had to work a day in his life.
52
@charles
All Americans support he ideas of public education and gov't assisted medical care, altho services provided by paid professionals are never really ''free'' are they?
For upward mobility on this planet, your best hope is capitalism with the least gov't control and interference possible. Empowered workers enjoy greater choice of where they want to work under a smaller gov't.
"Without publicly funded schools, public transportation, free medical care and other evils of 'big government', this story would not have been possible."
I occasionally wonder if some people who hide behind a professed aversion to "big government" really feel this: "If you can't make do with what might trickle down to you, go ahead and rot in the gutter, quietly."
18
Mr Wood, So beautiful, thank you. Maybe one day you can establish, or inspire, a fund to put other children like you through a good school. You will succeed in your life whatever you do.
29
Congratulations Zachery Scott. For the rest of your life you will look back on those days with a good feelings. You conquered the obstacle which most of us give up on.
14
Although your story has it own particulars, grit and discoveries, public transit is the web you traveled on, through, and shared with others. From having, by far, the best public transit city in the world after WWII, the USA crippled, tore up, and trivialized that system. Replacing it with the auto/truck world of now. The loses in that transformation are beyond this comment; they continue unabated. The loss your story patches up is the social, discovery, human-with-other-humans-every-day reality our car culture ditched and demoralized. Now you've got your degree, don't stop getting on the bus and encouraging others to do the same and to vote for funding for public transportation from Anchorage to Bangor.
39
@js
At one time SoCal had miles of good public rail transportation; Standard Oil bought the rights of way and tore up the tracks. That was the beginning of the clogged freeway system, and the smog, until emissions were finally regulated. There was very good public transport systems in the tri-State area until the systems were purchased, and all transport then dead headed in NYC. Oil companies have never been the friend of public transport. I rode public transport all over Europe, and in China.
5
@js and Linda Millu
Anyone interested in public transit in the US should take a look at Edwin Black's award-winning book "Internal Combustion" subtitled "How corporations and governments addicted the world to oil and derailed the alternatives"
It's sickening to read how we were snookered, post WWII, into automobiles and diesel buses and trucks instead of trolley lines and railroads.
3
Zachary - Best of luck for your future 'travels' - I am sure you do well
17
It is indeed an education to use public parks, transportation, pools, schools etc. without the tax payer supported funding the lives of the poor and the middle class would be even more difficult. This is the reality of life in America that too many citizens never see or appreciate.
B est of luck to you!
33
@Jan-Good points. The wealthy use these services too--that's why we should all be proud taxpayers/investors and pay our fair square.
"It’s nearly impossible to rise without other people helping you pull yourself up."
The father is the true hero in this story, toiling away at probably a low wage job with little chance for advancement, his only wish to give his son some stability while growing up and a chance at a better life, breaking the cycle of poverty.
In the early 1900's, my grandfather borrowed $5000 from one of his brothers to come to this country, a huge sum of money in those days. He worked as a houseboy on the west coast and repaid every penny of that loan.
Folks, I have nothing but admiration and respect for these and many like them, sacrificing themselves for their future generation.
204
My grandfather arrived in San Francisco aboard the S.S. Manchu in 1909. He was poor, illiterate, and unable to speak English but he knew how to cook, clean and do laundry. I guess working as a houseboy afforded him the best opportunity to repay his brother since room and board were included. With no monthly expenses of his own it is not hard to save $35 dollars a month for the 12 years it took to pay back the $5000.
My grandfather's sacrifice for my father, me, and my son makes him a hero in my book.
24
@mlb4ever
There used to be a small Chinese museum in No. Beach, SF. I remember a small trunk with one set of special clothes, a comb, pictures of family and a few other things. There was a small Chinese telephone book. It was the most moving experience for a 5th generation San Franciscan who grew up with Chinese. The Chinese arrived and worked almost as slave labor for years; they built their communities and supported each other. There are old Chinese communities all over California, one of the oldest is in Sacramento; they tend to form their communities with few outsiders, still.
@Kim Hahn I would assume the $5000 quoted by the poster had already been adjusted for inflation. Why the nit-picking?
Congratulations, Zachary. Hang in there with the gratitude...a virtue most opt either choose to ignore to practice or have let become dormant inside, since so many of us in America make the common mistake of comparing ourselves to others. Comparing ourselves with a subjective degree of accuracy insures we will not enjoy our own lives.
Zachary, remember your goals, and your family. We are very proud of you.
31
Too bad more cities in the US don't have a public transportation system that children can rely on to go to school. Every day in New York City thousands of high school students get on buses and subways to make their way to one of 311 high schools. My daughter was one. Her experience of riding the subway, of navigating detours, closures, shutdowns, fires, and peoples of all kinds made her more resilient, more aware of the many peoples living in her city, and made her a fierce advocate of improved public services.
180
Congratulations on finishing college. You are better prepared than many of your peers to navigate the road ahead. Thank you for this beautiful, tender essay. Best wishes for continued success.
194
The help of others is definitely important. But you deserve some credit for what you accomplished. Not everyone could do what you did, even with a lot of help. I'm just sorry that you had to endure so much just to attend a good school.
59
Thanks for this essay.
We are the United States. Coming together to be a better union is what we are all about. We need to take that precept and drill it down through our society. We can't be content to see ourselves as us and them.
24
Wonderful essay. And yes, Mr. Wood, pulling oneself up by one's own bootstraps is a myth. What has been lost in the widespread use of that metaphor is the ironic, almost sarcastic sense of its original meaning. It is, quite literally, impossible to lift oneself by one's own bootstraps. (If anyone doesn't believe me, try it sometime.) And that is precisely the point of the metaphor when used as intended: to point to the impossibility, not the possibility, that once can succeed entirely on one's own with no outside assistance.
266
Thank you for sharing your experience. You have earned a PhD in life experience. I look forward to hearing more from you.
94
Congratulations Mr Woods and family. As a society we should be focused on helping more people up vs pushing them down out of jealousy that “they” aren’t as worthy. Refreshing to read, thank you for this great reminder.
55
Congratulations on both your success in high school and college graduation! I can only hope that one day every child who desires an excellent education has the opportunity, regardless of their family of origin. There is so much untapped talent in this country, and I can't understand why there is so much disparity in education. It seems like there is a CVS, a Starbucks, and some type of religious gathering place in every town, why can't there be good schools too?
39
Mr. Wood, Thank you for writing this amazing essay and best of everything that this world has to offer. Just remember you have what many of your former classmates and others have yet to develop and that is a sense of compassion. Don't ever lose it.
356
@JM
My niece is going down same road (pun intended) as Mr. Wood. What she puts up with, on the city bus --
-- "Boyfriend" screaming at 120db at "NATASHA!!!" .. and wondering if BF is going to hit Natasha.
-- Per previous, how long will it take police to arrive, if Natasha gets attacked.
-- Occasional gun. Knives more frequent.
-- Mentally ill thugs who hit drivers, causing long delays.
-- Youth gangs on weekend nights, going to the mall, screaming at jet-engine levels.
We're all for compassion. We just wish everyday people got more of it, from thugs and bums.
2
@Bang Ding Ow
I was saved from a purse snatching by "gang" members twice on public transportation in NYC: once two came up and pushed a boy out of the way, then told me how to hold my purse, and how to better watch for trouble. A second time a gang was going through the cars, grabbing purses from women sitting alone; two boys in gang jackets came over and sat on either side of me; the purse grabbers moved past me. So, I can't say that every member of a gang is a bad guy.