Transportation

Mindset of Change

Choo choo! This train is leaving. Jk. Its a static website. You're good. Take your time, friend.

“What poor, deluded fools these human beings are! Won't they ever learn? Of course, today they seem to do everything at a much faster rate of speed than we did in our day. They get born faster. They live faster. They eat faster. They burn out faster. But what do they gain? And you tell me that all of them can now read and write! But what do they read and what do they write? And are they any better at living in peace with each other than we were? Do they love each other any the better? Let me put it even more simply. Do they treat each other with any greater decency and tolerance than we did in our own time, when we were forever slaughtering each other for some opinion which was mere guesswork and probably always would remain so, and yet caused one half of humanity to send the other half to the gallows and the stake—and for what?...I am sorry, but even today, I don't quite know for what!”

Hendrik Willem Van Loon, Van Loon's Lives

Its a side-gig, personal-brand, always-on kind of world out there. Our bodies might only move 10,000 steps or maybe a few miles (not always under our own physical momentum), but our minds leap every 30 seconds, 140 characters, from email to email, job to job. Even in our down time, we seek ways to occupy our minds: television shows, podcasts or music. Or maybe we try to quiet it with drugs or alcohol, food, instagram pics, instagram pics of food. Always so restless.

Always rushing leaves many of us feeling tired. We lack space to let things sit, to ponder, to assess calmly without the pressure of time. To rest. To sleep. To deduce what is working about our lives, and what causes more stress.

Its not surprising really. In the 1930's it took 3-4 days by train to go from New York to San Francisco. Now it takes 6.5 hours by plane. In 1983, the internet was invented. An inquiry that used to require going to the library and doing research, which could take hours or days, now takes milliseconds.

We, as a society, have decided to take all that saved time and...accelerate. Not slow down, spend more time with our families, take walks, learn things, but work more. After all, the economy relies on growth in our gross domestic product (GDP) and products don't produce themselves (yet). Altogether, we have sped up. Time is going by faster than our biological selves can quite process.

For many people, COVID was the first occasion when time became really unbounded. When the day-to-day rush was abruptly interrupted. Not wholly in a good way. Nature doesn't work that way. We were bored at first, and then we learned to bake bread, and started going to the park more, learned what homeschooling means (and that's not so bad either, it turns out, washingtonpost.com). Now, 98% of people want to work remote, at least part of the time (forbes.com).

And why shouldn't they? Without a commute, we get hours of the week back (axios.com), more flexibility and more space. Space to wear sweatpants and make lunch at home. To see our kids and spend time with our dogs. Even though many people have been called back to work, on average we are now working less (axios.com).

60% of the workforce does still commute (forbes.com). And they do so primarily by car (statista.com).

The Space In Between

So for all you brave souls who still go out into the world, I am here to make you a case for the space in between destinations.

The Solitary Commuters

For some of you, this space will be most unalterably taken up by sitting in a car. I certainly understand the appeal of slightly more flexibility and storage space. Of course, traffic kind of ruins it for me, but if you must, you must.

And if you must -

For more suggestions, check out the car section. And definitely get yourself a decent podcast to listen to. I like this one.

Transporting the Public

For more than half of you, public transportation is an option (apta.com). For those who need to prioritize speed, this is the most climate friendly way to commute, especially for you golden souls who have electric rail or street cars at your disposal.

Now, I live in Chicago and let me tell you, the CTA is by no means perfect. Do people sometimes try to smoke weed on the train? Yes. Do the homeless or drunk occasionally sprawl over several seats? Yes. Does this give you an excuse to be 15 minutes late to work? Yes.

I submit the primary things I like about public transportation:

1. Its cheaper (and a lot of work places have commuter benefits for it).
2. It's much safer (slate.com).
3. Great people watching.
4. It takes more time.

Yea, you heard me on that last one. Taking more time is a benefit to me.

Ok story time. After COVID, like many other people, I was leery of taking public transportation. Germs were scary and people had gotten weird (myself included). And most annoyingly, checking the train times and having to allot an extra 30 minutes not to be rushed seemed inefficient and idiotic.

Then I realized that it was glorious to have a bit more space in between things. You get to relinquish control and immediacy a little bit, allow yourself a tad more wiggle room. Download that new album you wanted to listen to. Pick up a smutty novel you can feel a little dirty reading on the train. Allow your mind to wander and to observe the skyline, the people around you. Feel the transition and dwell in the present. Maybe have a little snooze.

30 minutes becomes invaluable space to decompress in between things. You don't have to vigilantly maintain distance with the bumper ahead, and wind up into a rage about the idiot who doesn't know how to merge. Besides, somehow, "the train/bus/shuttle was late" is a much better excuse than "I'm running behind this morning."

The Best Multitasking

Now the luckiest of the luckiest will find a way to commute by bicycle or by walking. I have been so fortunate to have a walking commute, once upon a time, and I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that it is one of the few single elements for which it is worth changing your entire life.

The human species walked for most of history. In fact, our very physiology - our bodies - are made to walk (smithsonian.org). There are few things better for us than a daily walk. I state without irony: a 20-3o min walking commute will change your life. If you don't believe me, ask the Europeans.

A close second is commuting via bicycle. The bicycle was invented in 1817 and its first name was the 'swiftwalker.' Excellent exercise and (dare I say?) swifter than walking, many cities have been adapting to make commuting via bike safer, and its worth checking your neighborhood and commute routes.

Ultimately, apart from being extremely climate friendly, the greatest reason to commute via biking or walking is having daily mild exercise, which is great for your health and your happiness.

Not Convinced?

No worries. Transportation is a tough subject and its a really difficult area to adapt for many people. In the US, much of life has been adapted to driving a car, which is unfortunate in many ways. We improve where we can.

More Options, More Information

Some deeper dives on the feasibility of different forms of transportation.

Note: I'm working on filling in each one of these. If you want to get the latest content as I write it, please subscribe!

1. Cars
2. Commute
3. Flights
4. Cycle & Scooting

Feeling overwhelmed? Don't worry. Learning is progress too. Here's some inspiration: