Surfing the highway of time

We’ve all been taught that a red light means stop. But do we really? Maybe you’re driving and notice the red light, but you keep going. You can’t afford to stop — not when your schedule is so tight. Sometimes we take unnecessary risks, running right through yellow lights. Or maybe you get honked at on the highway when you try to merge into traffic even though the lane isn’t open yet. Eventually we reach our destination and relax, but the whole time we were moving from place to place, from responsibility to responsibility, it felt like we were glued to that back bumper, afraid of losing our place in line if we let up for even a moment. There’s something about being near the front of a long line of cars that helps us feel secure — there’s safety in numbers. And we want to be first because it seems like reaching our destination as quickly as possible is vitally important

We are all in a hurry, speeding down the road of life, trying to make the most of our time.

We are all in a hurry, speeding down the road of life, trying to make the most of our time. We are all trying to get somewhere. But where?

We have no idea.

We feel like we are running out of time and we have to get somewhere really fast before it's too late.

We’ve all been taught that a red light means stop. But do we really? Maybe you’re driving and notice the red light, but you keep going. You can’t afford to stop — not when your schedule is so tight.

Red light means stop. Yellow light means slow down. Green light means go. You’ve probably heard these rules of the road before, but do you really remember them? And if so, do you follow them?

If a car is in your way and slowing down ahead of you, will you speed up to get around it? Do you roll through yellow lights just to beat the next red one that may be coming up? Or do you sit at each intersection waiting for the green light to come on so that there will be no confusion about whether or not it's safe for traffic flow to resume after a pause in movement due to changing traffic signals and congestion caused by heavy traffic volume levels near busy intersections where multiple roads meet head-on during rush hour periods when more cars are trying simultaneously than usual (which happens every day).

Sometimes we take unnecessary risks, running right through yellow lights. Or maybe you get honked at on the highway when you try to merge into traffic even though the lane isn’t open yet.

Sometimes we take unnecessary risks, running right through yellow lights. Or maybe you get honked at on the highway when you try to merge into traffic even though the lane isn’t open yet.

This is all because of a phenomenon called “the green light effect.” It seems that people tend to drive faster when they know that they have green lights ahead of them, even if there is no other traffic around them or in front of them at all. This also happens with our internal clock: We think we have more time than we actually do, which can lead us to make mistakes or run into trouble down the road.

Eventually we reach our destination and relax, but the whole time we were moving from place to place, from responsibility to responsibility, it felt like we were glued to that back bumper, afraid of losing our place in line if we let up for even a moment.

We had lived with these fears for so long that they became part of our everyday lives. Our need to be first in line, our fear of losing our place in line and being left behind, these were all things we couldn't escape. We had become so immersed in this culture that we didn't even realize how much control it had over us until we stopped for a moment and looked around. We saw people driving through their day with blinders on, just trying to make it from one responsibility to another without questioning whether or not they really wanted to be there at all.

We realized how much was being sacrificed by living this way: time spent with family and friends could be replaced by hours spent staring at a computer screen; emotional health could suffer due to lack of consistent human contact; even physical health would suffer (which is why I'm currently typing this while sitting on my couch instead of going grocery shopping).

There’s something about being near the front of a long line of cars that helps us feel secure — there’s safety in numbers. And we want to be first because it seems like reaching our destination as quickly as possible is vitally important.

There’s something about being near the front of a long line of cars that helps us feel secure — there’s safety in numbers. And we want to be first because it seems like reaching our destination as quickly as possible is vitally important.

But what about the times when being first could actually hurt you? It's true, traffic jams are awful and stressful, but sometimes getting stuck behind slower drivers can help you avoid an accident or save your life.

When you're driving down a narrow street and come upon a stopped car with no space to pass on either side, don't just speed up and try to blast past it—you may end up squeezing yourself into another lane when someone else stops ahead of you. Instead, follow the example set by this driver who got stuck behind slow traffic at an intersection:

But just like driving down a highway with your foot on the gas pedal too long can wear out your engine or cause a blowout, living life in the fast lane can have its own set of hazards.

But just like driving down a highway with your foot on the gas pedal too long can wear out your engine or cause a blowout, living life in the fast lane can have its own set of hazards. Over time, you may begin to feel burned out and worn down by what you are doing. Work might seem less pleasant than it used to be; relationships may not be as fulfilling as they once were. You might miss important events in people’s lives or lose track of time and find yourself late for work or other obligations more often than not. If this happens, it could end up costing you your job, which could lead to losing friends and family members who support you financially—and also contribute a sense of meaning to your life that keeps things from getting too dull after all is said and done!

We’re all in a hurry, speeding down the road of life, trying to make the most of our time. We’ve all been taught that a red light means stop. But do we really? Maybe you’re driving and notice the red light, but you keep going. You can’t afford to stop — not when your schedule is so tight. Sometimes we take unnecessary risks, running right through yellow lights. Or maybe you get honked at on the highway when you try to merge into traffic even though the lane isn’t open yet.