Beep Beep

A few days ago, I was driving and listening to the radio when the song “Beep, Beep – The Little Nash Rambler” from The Platters was played. It was released in 1958 and it got as high as number four on the charts. I was enthralled from the very first verse until the end of the song. The first verse goes like this:
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The song goes on to tell the story of a frustrated Cadillac driver with a guy who was driving a much smaller and less prestigious Nash Rambler. He assumed the guy was trying to show off or perhaps even rub it in that an inexpensive small engine car could keep up with his prestigious Cadillac. The Caddy driver let his frustration get the best of him and decided that he would show this upstart who had the fastest car, so he put his foot to the pedal and pushed the metal to the floor and his car took off. It went faster and faster but to his surprise the guy in the Little Nash Rambler stayed right behind. The Caddy driver pushed harder on the pedal and got going ninety miles per hour, then 100 mph, and 110 mph but it didn’t make any difference because the guy behind him stayed with him. The final verse lets us know that the Cadillac could not shake the Nash Rambler and it also explains the reason the other driver was going so fast.
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This song is a great segway into today’s post dealing with first impressions and judging people. It’s a fact that it’s easy for us to judge people or situations or circumstances when we don’t have the complete picture. 


How many times have we made a snap judgement about someone and later said to ourselves, “Boy was I wrong about that man or woman?”


My grandfather Call told me a story about a time when he was a boy of nine or ten. This conversation took place sometime in the 1890s, but its message is still important today. One Sunday the family was sitting around the table eating dinner and someone started talking about a man that lived in their community. In church that day he had stood up and mentioned some troubles he was having with some boys in the neighborhood. 


At first the family must have been thinking and speaking negatively of this man but then my great grandfather, Israel Call, started talking about all the good things this man did without being asked or seeking attention. Great grandpa then described some of this man’s struggles. By the time he had finished teaching his family about this man the feelings towards him changed and the next time my grandfather saw him he had a different outlook towards this man. Grandpa made friends with him and stayed close to him until this man passed away.


I wonder how many times we form the wrong impression when we first meet someone. I wonder how often we change that impression once we have learned the truth. I wonder what we feel like after we know that we have judged someone wrong. Knowing that we all make mistakes I wonder why we find it so hard to rectify feelings when we know we have made a bad call. What is it about human nature that makes it so easy to judge someone and see that person through eyes that may be distorted or a bit myopic? How do we change this behavior? 


As parents we want our children to grow up respecting people and thinking positive thoughts about them, and, to accomplish this, I believe that we should follow the example of my great grandfather. We should teach them about the good in others and not dwell on the negativity. Let’s help our children understand that everyone has challenges, and we can teach them to notice the good that people have in them and dwell less on their negative aspects. Doing this can enhance the lives of our children and help them be successful in the real world.


After all, we don't want to be like the driver of the Cadillac and make wrong assumptions and feel guilty for thinking or behaving in a less than honorable way.
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Happy Failing Forward,