It was another hot day in Arizona.
The temperature was exceedingly high even for the first day of
June. As I navigated my way home from
work through a morass of overheated vehicles and their similarly afflicted
drivers I happened to notice a billboard displaying the current temperature,
111 degrees Fahrenheit.
An angry Red sun slowly setting in the west, twisted and
distorted by the byproduct of dreary daily commutes both past and present
seemed to punctuate the mood. It seemed as if nature itself was making dour
commentary on our goings on.
Not that this commute was any more eventful than any other,
it wasn't. The usual cast of characters largely
oblivious to the other participants in this risky game were all present. All have a role.
The impatient
jackrabbit convinced that his commuting brethren conspire to impede his
progress at every turn. Darting amongst
the less expedient every gap is an opportunity if you're lucky he may take the
time to signal before traversing 4 lanes of traffic.
The mule, an overloaded landscape truck with its poorly
secured load. Pavement or windshield
which one takes the blow only time can tell.
Only a fool would risk taking a position behind him, many fools do.
The conscientious driver determined to enforce every posted
limit even at their own peril. This is
the sworn enemy of the jackrabbit. The
Tortoise versus the hare or so it seems.
A deadly dance that never questions if but when the race ends in twisted
metal astride a flatbed truck.
The distracted driver more concerned with the status of
their Facebook page than the fiery flare of the brake lights they're rapidly
approaching.
Countless permutations and combinations exist. We've been them all at one point or another
and the memory conjured is never cherished.
It's a basic rule of nature that most unpleasant experiences
are indicators that something's gone awry and needs correction.
A body at rest stays at rest, a body in motion stays in
motion. Daily commutes run afoul of this
basic tenet of science.
Technology is all around us perhaps to our own detriment but
regardless of your opinion it permeates every waking hour.
Why then, with the world at our fingertips do we continue a
ritual firmly embedded in 19th century realities no longer relevant 2 centuries
later.
Perhaps it's a shoehorn mentality. Ill fitting shoes can still be worn if forced
on the wearer. Ignore the pain and the
blood, the shoe is firmly in place and all is as it should be at least
according to convention. The pain must
be endured else the shortcomings of a failing model be revealed.
We commute to passable occupations, accept schedules
contrary to our potential and immerse ourselves in misery for the sake of
pointless timesinks that barely enrich our personal coffers let alone our
lives.
Wake up! It doesn't
have to be this way but it takes the painful act of crawling out of your
conformity and demanding more of the limited time you have left to walk on this
rock.
Think about it.
