After playing sports, you probably realize that there are two types of coaches (in broad generalization-mode): the supportive coach or cheerleader-coach who encourages you to progress beyond your limits and notes when you've done so with enthusiasm, and the task-master coach who yells at you even when you succeed.
You may also realize that most humans on the planet fall into the latter category when it comes to their fellow man.
Today on the metro, one of the escalators was out during my transfer from the glorious Green line to the dismal Red, so the throbbing horde was forced to walk up an entire flight of out-of-order escalators (read: stairs - sorry for the convenience) to hustle off to their job that they'd probably be late for anyway.
Progress was slow.
During the crowding effort, I heard someone nearby mutter a choice curse word under his breath. Another crowd member actually spoke up about how slow people were moving. That's when I realized that we're all bad coaches.
As if there was a way to go faster. As if these men would have flown up the stair if they were in front. These men were bad coaches, yelling at a group of strangers for something they had very little control over. Would it be so out of the ordinary to spark a positive comment toward our fellow commuters? After all, it's mostly sheer numbers that slows progress - not any one person's inability to move quickly through the terminals. Could these men have shouted, "You can do it! We're doing great, everyone!" and gotten a better result? Perhaps people would have moved quicker with positive reinforcement.
How many times in your daily life do you get frustrated with other people? How many times do you find yourself playing the bad coach instead of supporting? The answer is fairly high for me. Hopefully, I'll be able to change that.
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