SANJAY KHANNA

Late-night Uber home mindlessly perusing emails on smartphone. In this woeful selfabsorbed state, I realize I’m ignoring the driver who, on closer observation, appears wan and distant. Wondering how I might penetrate his raw loneliness, I gently ask: “Are you able to find meaning in making ends meet?” The driver perks up and replies, somewhat ruefully, “No one’s asked this question before.” Navigating midtown Toronto in the dark, he confides few people evince concern about him. “It’s hurtful,” I say. “One feels invisible.” Soon, we near my apartment. The driver parks beside the building. Rather than bring our conversation to a close, we sit leisurely and converse more freely. We discuss his unrealized aspirations as an educated immigrant (and mine as a writer). We explore where to find meaning amidst life’s vicissitudes. We depart smiling, thanking each other, knowing it’s unlikely we’ll meet again, yet understanding that one another’s inner light was, in a sacred act of listening, briefly evoked. Sanjay Khanna is a futurist who helps Canadians adapt to 21st-century challenges such as climate change.