Ain't No Thang

I am trying my damndest to stay relaxed.

It occurs to me that this is probably a very in-efficient way to go about relaxing oneself.

Driving is bad, and my newest theory is that driving a car (or truck or whatever) is somewhat similar to being on the internet. I say this in reference to John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory; which simply states that most normal people, when given anonymity and an audience, will turn into a monster of obscenity and immaturity.

I expand this to automobiles because while inside one you are mostly anonymous, being completely encased in a steel shell and traveling at very high speeds, thus virtually eliminating the danger of actual human contact. This seems to open up the doors for people to make use of the road as if the other travelers inhabiting it are obstacles to be overcome, rather than logical, sentient beings that might actually be physically harmed by unreasonable actions.


The point that I am getting at is that it is never as hard for me to remain blissfully Buddhist as when I am on the road. I find myself slowing down purposefully when someone tailgates me, instead of eliminating the threat by simply moving over. I invariably box hyper-speeders in when they try to pass on the right, instead of letting them go so that they don't endanger the people around me. I often have to pause and try to remind myself that the only thing that I am accomplishing by doing this is raising everyone's blood pressure.

I think that it's about time that I start taking the bus, but I'm far too sleepy to get up on time, which I suppose is a good thing, since sleeping is good for your blood pressure in moderate doses. I suppose that this is also the reason that I find freeways so distasteful, given that humans are by no means mature enough to be given the responsibility of piloting a vehicle at such high speeds with so little training. Perhaps this is also the a primary impetus of my unwavering support for all types of mass transit, as it places people face to face, where they are much less likely to crowd someone out of the way, and much more likely to simply say "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

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