My first thought on being witness to such distressing scene was one of anger. Anger at the driver and his (it was a man) carelessness. After all, our road has a 20mph limit. I also felt anger at the girl and her lack of alertness. How many times do we tell our children to stop, look and listen before they cross the road? My second – and much calmer – reaction was one of reflection.
We would normally think of fortune, good luck, when being confronted with a situation like the one I described before. But this near-miss also made me ponder over the nature of humans. Most of us live pretty well-organised lives, dictated by a certain rhythm and pattern like an orchestra rehearsing for a big concert in which we are both musicians and conductor.
Yet, when we forget to look either side before crossing the road, are we not defying the perfection we are (un) consciously trying to create? Are we not entering the realm of “If…”?
I do not wish to romanticise the almost-death of a teenager. I am attempting to explain what I sometimes think of as a small “subversion of our daily routine”. In choosing not to look – for that was a decision on her part, even if unconscious – either side of the street as she was crossing it, the girl broke the mould into which she had positioned herself or into which she had been placed by her family. If we see the quotidian as the natural order of life, how do we describe and define our “If…” moments? I dare to improvise an answer: the length of one’s routine life acts as the long-term goal we set ourselves at some point in our young adulthood. The “If…” situations are the shortcuts we take to achieve the same goal.
Where is this post going? Nowhere and everywhere. Nowhere, because it has stayed in that London street a few weeks back, during Easter. Everywhere, because through this post I am fashioning answers that take me away from my comfort zone. In thinking up this “If…” scenario for the girl, I have to face up to the brutality of the shortest route to the goal I mentioned before. If the car had turned the corner two seconds before it did, the girl would have been run over. End of the story? No, there would have been tears, accusations, recriminations and guilt. However, there would not have been any analysis on the “tyranny of the quotidian”. Funny title, that. I know of at least one author who would probably use a title like in one of his books.
We do not need to die or put our lives in danger in order to confront the routine of life, the regimented style some of us follow. Sometimes it is enough to cycle to work taking a different route, get stuck in the doors of a train in motion or find yourself on the yellow line, in the middle of a busy road with rain pouring down and 60mph wind gusts pushing you around from all sides. A clear example of the theory of “If…”. As in, “If I had put my waterproof on…”
© 2015
Next Post: “Killer Opening Songs”, to be published on Wednesday 13th May at 6pm (GMT)
Leaving one's comfort zone is so difficult for many, but so necessary.
ReplyDeleteThat is scary but I believe we all have such near death experiences far more often than we realize. Comfort zones are hard, having social phobia I run up against mine continuously
ReplyDeletemindlovemisery
Good thoughts, there are reasons there are things like "stop, look, listen" are drilled into our minds.
ReplyDeleteSuch an intriguing post. At one point do sensible rules and actions become stifling and restrictive? Obviously we need some sense of order to get through the day but when that order becomes our day then we lose the spark that makes life worth living. I've been hiding in the comfort zone for far too long and it amazes me how much effort it can take to break free--and how good it feels when I do.
ReplyDeleteHow true it is. And one of the most confronting steps out of our comfort zone is when we reach out and interact with someone who is 'different'. And never taking that step is a choice too.
ReplyDeleteThe cat would much rather stay in his comfort zone, but Pat has no issue stepping out of it. We have so may near death experiences every day, we never know it
ReplyDeleteAlthough my life has been sort of stagnant the past two or three years, in 2010 I had seven different mail addresses in two countries, which is the least interesting part of the story. The words "comfort zone" are rather alien to me, I think, as are the words "long-term goal." I believe I can honestly say the goal which required the longest period of time for me to reach was to obtain a college degree; all my goals seem to be/have been for a year or two or three.
ReplyDeleteEven living with such a modus operandi, I believe I understand your point, CiL. As for your "realm of 'If…'?", I have seen figurative lightning strike too many times to give it much thought. It also helps to be a bit paranoid.
I enjoyed your post, CiL, and want to think about it still more.
One my daughters, from the age of about 6, always asked 'what if ...' - we had been in London when a bomb went off in Harrods. We were unhurt but saw many bloodied people. From that day on, she knew how fragile lives can be. It went on for years and years.
ReplyDeleteAnd then - suddenly - when she was 18 - it stopped. So I asked her why - well, she said, the worst thing that could happen did happen (her stepfather, my husband, died) and now I know that life can go on. So I don't need to ask any more..
that reminded me of the movie "sliding doors" a not-missed train and her life would've taken an entire different route...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts and comments. They are much welcome. The clip is a short film that was part of the London's Children's Film Festival in 2010. At the time I was working in a different school and the children there had the chance to vote for their favourite short movie in the children's film festival. This clip was one of the shortlisted ones and the one that impressed me the most (also, look up "The child and the beast" from Germany which competed in the same festival). I love the combination of perseverance, effort but also the randomness and the "what-if-ery" of it. Stay in the comfort of your own fire and stay alive. Go searching for the light elsewhere and freeze to death. The music is fab, too.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week ahead.
Greetings from London.
I always tell my writing classes that 'what if?' is the most important question in plot generation
ReplyDeleteIn fiction writing the most powerful question is 'What if.'
ReplyDeleteThere is certainly a strong unconsciousness in how we live our lives--especially in the days of handheld electronic devices--we seem to believe in virtual safety! Agh. Thanks for the interesting post. K. Manicddaily
ReplyDeleteWhat if..? is a powerful tool for the imagination!
ReplyDeleteAn accident took me to death's door - strangely I never asked myself 'what if...'. Sometimes it doesn't pay to think too deeply.
ReplyDeleteFacing a major challenge at present...I am trying to avoid wondering "what if...",
ReplyDeletebut, on the other hand, in another less serious situation...it could be a great spring-board for possibility!
Have a great week.:))
I've come across people whose preferred comfort zone seems to one of arrogance/entitlement, and the end result of that can be tragic, as those are the ones that a distinct lack of care when it comes to their personal safety.
ReplyDeleteWhat if always makes things more complicated to me. There are always other directions and outcomes, what matters is what you do in the present. I have just learned that lesson, by the way.
ReplyDeleteGood post ... I have very often asked myself the question "what if tomorrow does not come to me?"
ReplyDeleteThat just makes me appreciate my today all the more ...
I am on a blogging break for a month or so
See 'ya ..
If "what if?" is the impetus to creativity, then "so what? must be its roadblock. I can tell that you resisted the voice asking the latter question.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It has often crossed my mind that I'm only still here through the whimsey of fate. There have been close calls, things that have or haven't happened due to timing, and to circumstances out of my control. But I always look before crossing a street.
ReplyDeleteit is about a poorly working brain! Not fit for a modern world. :(
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's why people like to engage in risk-taking activities like skydiving...it shakes up the routine of day-to-day life and reminds them that life is a gift!
ReplyDelete