How Do You Get Your Fix?
I really enjoy taking the bus to and from work everyday. I think one of my favourite parts of the experience is observing other people.
One morning last week I ended up getting on a different bus then usual. Fortunately, it still got me to work on time, and this early morning slip-up also gave me the opportunity to make an interesting observation.
As I sat near the back of the bus, half asleep, something caught my eye. I watched as someone pulled a Pepsi out of their backpack, cracked it open, and proceeded to drink the entire can in a matter of minutes. I wouldn’t normally see this as unusual, but it was the time of day that caught me off guard; 7:30am seemed a bit early for a can of Pepsi.
As he finished his early morning beverage I returned to my half-slumbering state, but it wasn’t too long before I noticed someone sipping what I assumed to be coffee out of a travel mug. At first I didn’t think twice. It is very normal to see people drinking coffee in the morning. All of a sudden a light bulb went off.
Why did I think it was unusual for someone to drink a can of Pepsi in at 7:30am, but not coffee? There really isn’t a huge difference between coffee and Pepsi, right? Both contain someone’s caffeine fix.
This was a lesson in societal norms. We have been taught all our lives that it is appropriate – and often necessary – to drink coffee in the morning. But Pepsi?! That’s just gross.
I guess if we’re told something is normal long enough, we believe it to be normal. If we’re told something is unusual long enough, we believe it to be unusual. To me, this seems like a scary concept.
This experience reminded me of how important it is for each of us to think critically and explore the reasons behind why we think or act a certain way. If we all started drinking Pepsi in the morning, would future generations follow suit? There’s only one way to find out…
