All work and no play is definitely making Jill a dull girl. Creativity takes a back seat when the mind is confronted with materiality and conformity. Being forced to fit into a box when I have never been a square has made me determined to continue to seek the best possible lifestyle on my own terms. That is not to say that there aren't times when I am happy to conform, but it must always be for the right reasons.
Sitting in the gridlocked traffic yesterday provided plenty of free time for reflection on how we are giving up all sorts of freedom to pay bills and buy bigger cars, bigger houses, pay for education, medical expenses, etc. not to mention food, while overlooking the real purpose of life, which is to live close to nature, appreciate what is free, be kind to everyone you meet and look after your body while you have it.
I freely admit to being very impatient in traffic, and I have come to the conclusion that the reason for general road rage and intolerance of the ability of other people to affect our daily lives hinges on the fact that in South Africa we have possibly one of the most unregulated existences, where traffic laws (I won't go to the rest of them!) go largely unenforced and so we all feel entitled to basically do what suits us. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I personally am not in favour of large-scale regulation, but unfortunately that can only work in a society where the population is endowed with an enlightened outlook and any fool can see that it is not working here! The result is that everyone is king of the road and selfish behaviour is an affront to our ego. The potential solution is to let it ride - allow that taxi to pass on the left shoulder, make space for the big 4x4 to squeeze in front of the queue, let the old man wearing a hat hold up the traffic at 50km/hr - he must eventually get to turn off!
But, oh, all so much easier said than done!
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