Driving the back roads with my GPS turned off reminded me of this statement of excitement from a brave youngster who you can imagine racing her bike down an exciting slope, with her hands off the handle-bar, and the wind madly blowing her hair!
It brought before me the stark nakedness of the fallacy in life that we are so programmed to operate optimally and be well-informed about extreme minutia like the time it will take to travel from point A to point B, being optimally dressed for the weather, etc -- while being blissfully oblivious of wild swings that life has in store for you - the hugely more important decisions that we take without the possibility of conducting analysis that is anywhere close to what you may imagine appropriate for the decision.
I am not, by any stretch, suggesting that we intensify our analysis towards life decisions, but rather that life be lived with spontaneity - with more emphasis on intrinsic judgment and gut feel than the craving for an objective answer with proof of optimality (such as my GPS is smart enough to honor the traffic situation at the moment, and also tells me how many hundred thousand roads it scanned to tell me the same route to go to Boston every single time: I-95 .. I-91 .. I-84 .. I-90). Looking back, I am shocked to count the number of places I have visited, the number of children's events I have attended, and seen them mostly with one eye behind the viewfinder of the camera and camcorder, and not ever bothering to see the pictures or videos taken with both eyes open! Wouldn't I have been better off enjoying the sights and events with both eyes and ears, and to have let memorable sights remain and other sights fade away from memory by the natural processes of my brain?
The degree of control I have on myself is the maximum on the present moment, though the fact remains that it is much smaller than the factors over which I have no control. It is most certainly zero on all moments passed, and negligible, if at all, on the moments to come.
That said, my GPS is off! That gives me the excitement to see through the windshield with both eyes open to enjoy the views, the traffic, the faces and predicaments of fellow travelers in their respective journeys. That is so much more enjoyable than having one eye fixated on a simulated picture of the road, absorbing the constant recalculation of my destination arrival time with a 1-minute accuracy, and a simulated voice being my guiding force.
There is excitement in missing an exit or taking the wrong turn, and reevaluating your life journey from that point on. The journey, with all its detours, roadblocks, traffic jams, and service plazas becomes one to look forward to, rather than optimize to achieve in the shortest possible time. That objective itself is fallacious. If I have my favorite music playing, I have great company in the vehicle, and other desirable things in my favor, why would I possibly want to minimize my travel time or distance and reach the out-of-my-car state that would be devoid of the music, the company, and the other things that I had in my favor on the drive? And do we ever know the destination? We like to believe we do, and I am sure we really don't!
It is the fear of the unknown that has become the driving factor, and taken away the adventure of confronting it with awe. That is no way to live the one and only one life we have! So, my GPS is off, I don't look at the thermometer on the dashboard, or the precise calculation of the "miles to empty", the road signs are to be taken under a general sense of advisement. My wipers don't always come on with the slightest hint of rain - that gives me the thrill of watching raindrops flow up my windshield occasionally, while focusing on the road that can be seen past the raindrops!
"Lights on when wipers on" says the road sign. I chuckle. It is raining and my wipers are off. Hence, my lights are off. I am following the letter of the law! I do, quickly, turn my lights on in the interests of public safety, but only after I have got the kick for the moment.
Look Ma, No Hands!
It brought before me the stark nakedness of the fallacy in life that we are so programmed to operate optimally and be well-informed about extreme minutia like the time it will take to travel from point A to point B, being optimally dressed for the weather, etc -- while being blissfully oblivious of wild swings that life has in store for you - the hugely more important decisions that we take without the possibility of conducting analysis that is anywhere close to what you may imagine appropriate for the decision.
I am not, by any stretch, suggesting that we intensify our analysis towards life decisions, but rather that life be lived with spontaneity - with more emphasis on intrinsic judgment and gut feel than the craving for an objective answer with proof of optimality (such as my GPS is smart enough to honor the traffic situation at the moment, and also tells me how many hundred thousand roads it scanned to tell me the same route to go to Boston every single time: I-95 .. I-91 .. I-84 .. I-90). Looking back, I am shocked to count the number of places I have visited, the number of children's events I have attended, and seen them mostly with one eye behind the viewfinder of the camera and camcorder, and not ever bothering to see the pictures or videos taken with both eyes open! Wouldn't I have been better off enjoying the sights and events with both eyes and ears, and to have let memorable sights remain and other sights fade away from memory by the natural processes of my brain?
The degree of control I have on myself is the maximum on the present moment, though the fact remains that it is much smaller than the factors over which I have no control. It is most certainly zero on all moments passed, and negligible, if at all, on the moments to come.
That said, my GPS is off! That gives me the excitement to see through the windshield with both eyes open to enjoy the views, the traffic, the faces and predicaments of fellow travelers in their respective journeys. That is so much more enjoyable than having one eye fixated on a simulated picture of the road, absorbing the constant recalculation of my destination arrival time with a 1-minute accuracy, and a simulated voice being my guiding force.
There is excitement in missing an exit or taking the wrong turn, and reevaluating your life journey from that point on. The journey, with all its detours, roadblocks, traffic jams, and service plazas becomes one to look forward to, rather than optimize to achieve in the shortest possible time. That objective itself is fallacious. If I have my favorite music playing, I have great company in the vehicle, and other desirable things in my favor, why would I possibly want to minimize my travel time or distance and reach the out-of-my-car state that would be devoid of the music, the company, and the other things that I had in my favor on the drive? And do we ever know the destination? We like to believe we do, and I am sure we really don't!
It is the fear of the unknown that has become the driving factor, and taken away the adventure of confronting it with awe. That is no way to live the one and only one life we have! So, my GPS is off, I don't look at the thermometer on the dashboard, or the precise calculation of the "miles to empty", the road signs are to be taken under a general sense of advisement. My wipers don't always come on with the slightest hint of rain - that gives me the thrill of watching raindrops flow up my windshield occasionally, while focusing on the road that can be seen past the raindrops!
"Lights on when wipers on" says the road sign. I chuckle. It is raining and my wipers are off. Hence, my lights are off. I am following the letter of the law! I do, quickly, turn my lights on in the interests of public safety, but only after I have got the kick for the moment.
Look Ma, No Hands!
2 comments:
Relieved to hear that you do turn on your lights in rainy weather after all! GSP (Garden State Parkway) can indeed be a treacherous highway, especially without a GPS...
BTW, great blog post with a philosophical undertone. Keep up the good work.
Aseem,
I think this is how the rest of the world *already* lives ! You are losing your engineering roots :-)
/Ashok
Post a Comment