Staying in Your Lane

Driving through a couple of towns I had grown up in, I became frustrated because traffic went so slow. The old four and five lanes I was familiar with had been turned into three lanes with bike trails. I have never seen a bike in one of the trails and it seemed unfair that slow drivers could control the road. The towns were so much more vibrant when I was young and living in them. A part of it was the dynamics of a five lane road.

On a three lane road, there are less accidents according to studies. The reason of course is that all the traffic is forced to go at the pace of the slowest driver. People who want to get somewhere, or fast paced people, are forced to slow to the pace of those who want to dawdle through life. People who have business to attend to or simply want to get from one end of town to the other must have their pace dictated by vacationers and Sunday drivers. This is a microcosm of the pitfalls of social control that applies to every area of life. Controlling the group with micromanagers always sounds good in theory but it kills ambition.

On a four and five lane road, the left lane is for fast paced and the right for slow. Some states value their fast paced people so much that they put warning signs up for the slow people to stay in the right lane where they belong. Good people respect that and the fast laners can wave at the slow people as they go by. Nothing wrong with going slow and on easy days a fast pacer might enjoy the slow lane for a while. Problems occur when slow drivers become controlling and want to control traffic by driving in the left lane. They end up getting their way all the time with three lane roads. The four lane system is the more vibrant and fun. I suppose left turners on a four lane can cause a bit more lane switching but it isn't a problem for alert drivers. Anything is better than being caught behind a slow driver.

In school it was the same way. The entire class went at the pace of the slowest learner. I enjoyed self paced classes for that reason. It can be hard for a fast paced student to sit still in a slow paced class. We have ambitious people in a society who work hard to get ahead too. Those who are satisfied with status quo and below will have the resultant lifestyle. Neither attitude is an evil to society but when social planners hold ambition back by championing status quo and demonizing ambition, incentive suffers. There are periods in our lives where we may become poorer and slower paced due to retirement or disability. But regardless the reason, each person should be respected and encouraged where they are at. We should make room for them; a right lane so to speak. Successful people should also be respected and allowed to continue uninhibited. Profits are the result of good management and a good demand for the service. None of this is evil. Lets give them a left lane.

There are always impatient drivers at one extreme and ornery slowpokes at the other. But this doesn't mean that every fastlaner and slowlaner should be characterized as such. Perhaps our kids should be taught tolerance and to enjoy differences in ambitions. We could call it pacial discrimination. Don't criticize those who are fast paced, step aside, and let them pass. Be patient with those who are slow, give them a lane, and let them enjoy.

I like the dynamics of having fast and slow lanes. Studies show that variety gives us longevity in life. Wave at me as I pass you going to work and I will wave back as you pass me on your way. I'll have fun enjoying the view and I hope you make it to work on time!