Sunday, January 16, 2011
Merging as a Metaphor
On my morning drive to work, there is an entrance ramp onto the highway where lots of cars need to merge from three lanes down to one in a relatively short distance. It occurs to me that there are two main types of people merging, and I think it probably says a lot about how they conduct themselves in other areas of their life as well. The first type is someone who pays attention to the rest of the cars on the road and will gladly adjust speed to allow other people to merge. They realize that if we work together with care and coordination, then it can be a painless process so that we can all continue merrily on our way to our destination. The other type of people, however, are the ones who put their own needs first and don’t always let other people in. They want to be the first in line, or the fastest driver, or would like to force people to move aside for them, or think that everything is a competition, or spitefully close up a free space for someone else… What do you think? Is it merely a section of highway or is it indicative of how a person lives his life?
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2 comments:
Oh, Brettski, I definitely believe it's indicative of how a person lives his (or her) life... I've lived in 3 cities in WI and 4 in IL as a driving adult. The driving styles in ALL of them were distinctive. Individual drivers would show their respective kindness or aggression, but some cities as a whole tended to be populated by more considerate drivers...and other by more "entitled" ones. There's one town I avoid at all costs because the culture there seems to dictate getting ahead in *everything* -- whether it's in line at the grocery store, through the door of the library or in front of everyone in traffic. Can't stand it!
Yes! That's very apt. Of course, someone who speeds up and doesn't let anyone in would probably disagree with you. :-D
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