Bumper to Bumper

Diving through Dallas traffic everyday gives one time to ponder. It occurred to me that there are truths embed within my afternoon commute beyond fluid dynamics and economic models. So here are my thoughts:

Depravity
You will notice very quickly that traffic will bring out the worst in people. But it doesn’t stop there; traffic can also shed light on the fact that if you combine a bunch of depraved humans, the corruptness and stupidity is exponential in growth, accounting for seemingly random halts in movement. Oh and there is a term for our need to see destruction, its called “onlooker delays”.

Sacrifice
It is very frustrating to my sense of justice when I am staying in the slower lane so that I will not have to merge later on and slow things down. But it all seems to be in vain because someone else just goes around me, merging in my place. Sacrificing for the greater good is hard enough without idiots subverting your efforts. A lesson that could be learned by the Michigan legislature.

Patience
Taking our time and not trying to rush through the annoying/difficult parts of life should be a Christian staple. Our entire lives seem pointless when compared to heaven but that doesn’t make them so. Every moment will come and go with or without our overdeveloped sense of urgency.

Assertion
To balance the previous idea, traffic also presents a good place to learn how to assert yourself. You will get nowhere fast on the Interstate if you are constantly submitting yourself to others when you don’t need to. There is a time for courtesy and a time for speeding up in order to merge.