I looked at her and felt a familiar rage swell in my chest.
My monthly commute to Washington meant I regularly subject myself to the TSA's tortures. Each month, the standards of what is acceptable seem to change. No matter what I seem to do, I always have some issues. I pack the same bag with the same items and wear the same clothes. Whenever I walk through the metal detector and send my bag through the X-ray machine, something magically gets flagged for inspection. Always something new, never the same thing.
However, that isn’t the worst part. Instead, it’s listening to the lack of critical thinking from the agents. Any conversation will result in a parade of confirmation bias, arrogance, or simple apathy from someone who didn’t seem to care what they looked like when they showed up for work. I might as well be shaken down by the nighttime attendant at a failing gas station in some backwater town.
“Your boots are steel toes,” I’m told as the metal detector goes off. No, they aren't; they are the minimalist boots from Danner designed to be extremely lightweight. I have walked and rucked for miles at this point, purchased directly from clothing and sales on JBLM, no steel in these toes.
Everything in me wants to inform the sloppy, obese “officer” about the construction of my shoes, but I have tried that in the past. It was a complete waste of time; she hadn’t come here to think. That’s why she works for the TSA. I suppress the urge to ask Socratic questions to highlight her lack of analysis. If I give in, I will only be delayed further and later feel guilty.
Reluctantly, I kill the American inside of me and unlace my metal-free boots.
Use The Difficulty
A while back, I determined that I lacked patience. So, I began to pay attention to times when I felt frustrated. It didn’t take long to start seeing clear commonalities with every instance. Each time friction arose, I analyzed my position before acting, determined that I hadn’t made some error, and then defended my position fervently.
However, being right didn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if what they want makes sense just like with the TSA. Simple reality dictates that I comply with their demands or I miss my flight, wrong or not. This left me on the horns of a dilemma: subject myself to the tyranny of nonsense or create a whole new logistical nightmare.
Then I remembered Micheal Caine’s “Use the difficulty.” He tells a story about how he once encountered an obstacle when acting, and the director told him to “use the difficulty.” Instead of viewing the obstacle as an impediment to accomplishing what he needed, he used it innovatively to improve his performance. From that moment on, the TSA became the gymnasium I used in developing patience rather than a dragon to be slain.
Next time you encounter a frustration, use the difficulty.
Hone The Edge.