Drivers and Coasters

Going through some old photos yesterdays, I was reminded of someone I knew very well, who epitomised for me what inertia is.

If we take the road as a metaphor, drivers are those who choose points of destination, make conscious choices about the routes to take, and act on those choices.

Coasters are those who get in their cars without really thinking about what they want, and let the traffic move them, without taking the responsibility for making their own choices. The inevitable result is most of them don't know where the fuck they are after a while, and can't be bothered to figure out what to do.

(In case QC is reading this, I'm bracing myself for puns about putting coasters underneath my drink glasses.)

We were alike, this person and I, in that we were both coasters by nature. But unlike him, I'm a strange hybrid of both coaster and driver, and that I constantly battle the laziness of inertia to get to where I want. But ultimately, I've always known what I want and tried my best to work towards it.

Let's call him Ernie. Ernie used to lament that he had no passion; that he liked things, but didn't love them. The usual result is that his interest in things tended to fizzle quickly.

I didn't like that much, but now, I downright don't respect that at all. Over the years, I've come to know others like him too. On the surface, they're often likeable people known for mild temperament, but my take is that they're so insecure about feeling strongly about one thing or another that they just don't show any extreme of negative emotion whatsoever. No one dislikes a mild person, but in the end, no one respects them either.

I think it boils down to laziness and insecurity. The mentality is: don't invest too much heart into something, and it won't tire you out nor let you down. Who can respect someone who's unwilling to take responsibility for choices by even making them?

Yes, it takes effort to drive something you feel strongly about. It takes courage to feel strongly about something. It takes more effort and courage to keep at it. If you see the worth of your destinations and the journeys still to come, the effort is just a small price to pay.

Drivers may sometimes mow you down (hopefully by accident), but at least they're getting somewhere. At least they want to get somewhere.

Coasters just irritate me. Get off the road, you Sunday drivers!