I don’t know if I can actually pull this off, but it’s been a thought that I’d like to sound off in the open for others to see.

I follow a lot of stoicism philosophy and I like to follow parables for life lessons. The dichotomy of control, the obstacle is the way, you have two ears and one mouth, Amor Fati, Memento Mori, etc. Most try to put it in every day examples and while I was commuting to and from work, I was constantly fighting the urge not to rage at other selfish drivers. Of course, that comes with the dichotomy of control. I can only control my feelings and actions. But it also occurred to me that no matter what lifestyle you live, what background, character, personality, financial or disability you may or may not have, everyone gets stopped by red lights. There is no competition on who’s the fastest, selfish, richest, toughest, or luckiest person. If you’re rich and own a private jet, you’ll have a chauffeur drive you to where you’ll be. If you don’t own a car, bikes and pedestrians have to obey the intersections. Runners and wheelchairs, fast cars and slow cars, big ass trucks and mini models. Sometimes you get lucky and it’s a green light, but eventually everyone has to stop at a red light.

We’re all equal and it has me more grounded than ever before. We have sports competitions and favorite teams, and my needs versus your needs. Political views, be damned. I always think of the person cutting me off or squeezing and now I just let them. Wherever they are going and for how long, a red light will stop them too.

I wish I could be more profound or add so much more to make into a book, but there you go out in the open. Now people can poke holes in it if they like. Haha

  • EbbyA
    32•4 days ago

    But it also occurred to me that no matter what lifestyle you live, what background, character, personality, financial or disability you may or may not have, everyone gets stopped by red lights.

    Police, funerals, ambulances, firetrucks, sports teams, Presidents, and elitist bicyclists may have missed the memo.

    • KingJalopy
      7•4 days ago

      Especially the cyclists. Where I live we have dedicated bike lanes on every street everywhere but they always ignore stop signs, lights, etc… and it drives me mad when I have to proactively not kill them.

    • southsamurai
      5•4 days ago

      Nah, all of those eventually deal with the same roads in a situation where they aren’t granted those exceptions. Even cyclists will if they stay on the road, and arguably that’s still the same concept because they have to leave the road to bypass the lights if there’s no gaps big enough to get through.

    • Kairos
      4•4 days ago

      Emergency services get stopped at red lights all the time, particularly when they’re not responding to something, but also when they are, in case the light can’t react in time. They usually slow down for safety, sometimes stopping.

      Edit: the punctuation will remain fucked up. Sorry.

    • @Hellnikko@lemmy.worldOP
      2•4 days ago

      Of course there are some exceptions and it’s not perfect, but it’s not an every day occurrence with most of those. You do bring up valid points. It’s more of a thought of not wanting to rush everywhere because you’ll get stopped eventually. There are traffic jams, protesters, accidents, and severe weather that can function the same. If it’s something that will help someone deal with the everyday and not have to worry about other people’s status in the world or even the ongoing depression of how little ahead you are in life, it’s a sign that represents a sliver of equality.