The Traffic Life

Imagine you are on a very congested road, in your lane, trying to get to work. The traffic is heavy, and up ahead, you’re approaching an intersection that’s causing the congestion. You’re about to turn right at this intersection, but cars from an adjacent road are merging into your lane, adding to the traffic. These cars are being fed into your lane in a structured but slow process, you have to wait for them to merge, and they have to wait for other cars ahead to turn.

Meanwhile, the opposite lane is almost completely empty. There are no cars passing by, except for one in the distance. You’re stuck waiting, yet when that lone car finally reaches the intersection, it barely slows down before continuing straight through. It doesn’t experience the traffic, the frustration, or the waiting, you watch as it moves freely, unbothered, while you’re still stuck.

In that moment, you feel uneasy. It seems unfair. How can they move so effortlessly while you’re stuck in this congestion, waiting for your turn? Their road is clear, open, and free, while yours is filled with obstacles. But isn’t that what life is like, too?

Sometimes, circumstances put you at a congested intersection, forcing you to wait for your turn. You could try to push ahead, force your way through, but that would only create problems, making the situation more difficult for yourself and others. The smartest thing to do is to wait, even when it’s frustrating.

And then there are others, people whose lives seem like that empty lane. They don’t have to stop, wait, or struggle. They move through life freely, while you sit in the congestion, wondering why things aren’t as easy for you. It feels unfair, like they’re getting something you aren’t.

But life works that way sometimes. It’s not always about oppression or someone deliberately making things harder for you. Sometimes, you’re just at an intersection that happens to be congested, while someone else is on a road that happens to be clear. They don’t feel the pain of waiting, but that doesn’t mean they never will, it just means, at this moment, your paths are different.

It’s difficult to accept those moments, but they happen often in life. Patience isn’t easy though and watching others move freely while you’re stuck is frustrating. But the road clears, eventually. And when it’s your turn, you’ll move forward too. Just like they did.