Sometimes when I’m stopped in traffic, I look in my rear view mirror at the driver behind me, and let go of my brake for half a second. I want to see if they would follow up and also move forward an inch. My current record is 7 times successfully getting the driver behind me to move.
And every time they move, I lose a little respect for them. I’ll think of them as someone really stupid. They lack the ability to discern the current situation, and they exist merely to follow what others do like a sheep. This trickery becomes easier when the driver is looking down on their phone. Pathetic. But can you blame them? They are in the middle of traffic, everyone around is also stuck, life is put on pause involuntarily. When I introduce to them a glimpse of positive change, it’s only natural to believe in it. A byproduct of late stage capitalism, and everyone is a victim.
But I wouldn’t move my car on a fixed metronome, as that would be too predictable and I don’t want to get shot in traffic, since it’ll create more traffic. Each release of my brake is timed irregularly, or when they are not paying attention. Everytime I move, I observe them looking up as a result of detecting an occurrence in their peripheral vision, and then look distracted again as a reaction to realizing traffic actually hasn’t moved at all. But in between that 1-2 second, their brain had already sent the signal to their brain to let go of the gas, making their car also an inch forward, and thus completing my manipulation technique to fuck with them. The only reason my record is 7 is because I stopped at a traffic light and I was about to reach over onto the crosswalk. I took this as a sign to stop, a self imposed reminder to not allow greed consume me, even though I have a hot streak going on. I already got the guy 7 times, that’s more than enough to declare spiritual victory on his ass.
To be clear I don’t derive any joyous chemical from this, I do not reap hedonistic indulgence in people’s incompetences. I compartmentalized my intention into the following reasons. Firstly, “be the change you want to see”, my high school teacher used to say. Secondly, I hate being stuck in traffic as well, so this is my rebellion against this rotten, unjust world. Finally, this is an attempt to understand the intricate mechanics of human behavior. In this world, you either move on your own volition or you end up an accomplice of someone else’s motive, whether it be known or not. This is a choice, it has always been a choice. Progress requires collaboration, which requires individuals to compromise themselves, otherwise entropy ensues and organizations collapse. Those who follow, risk their future to the leader. Those who walk ahead, if they stay true to the trust of the masses, inevitably will see that what lays ahead, is always some form of death. And if death is unavoidable, why not be selfish and maximize what I want in this limited existence? When have my followers ever understood the heaviness of the future and my loneliness? Fuck ‘em. I’m going to get rich, they can stay mad.
I assume that’s probably what they said.
