Driving -v- Riding

I read, with interest, the Vatican’s ten commandments for drivers. I suppose that they all mostly come under the 5th and 10th commandments of the originals as handed down by Moses.

 But the discussion of these commandments started a thought process begun a few few weeks ago in Tokyo. In Tokyo, all of the travelling that I do is via mass transit. During my latest visit I ruminated on the difference between mass transit and personal transportation.

The travel experience, for me, is significantly different in mass transit than it is in my personal vehicle. In many ways I prefer mass transit over driving myself. If I lived in an area with a good transportation infrastructure, I would willingly give up some convenience that personal transport offers in exchange for the benefits of mass transit. What are the benefits?

The biggest benefit is the social factor. In public transportation we’re in it together. When we drive in our separate cars, everyone else is a competitor. (At least it often seems that way!) In public transportation, the passengers are peers with no competing interests (outside of a few lines while waiting for the next train/bus, whatever.)

Adding to the social factor, it is possible, even likely, to communicate verbally with fellow passengers. In cars, the communication is limited to the horn and hand gestures.

In cars there is a sense of chaos–everyone is going their separate way. On the train, there is a sense of common destination–even if that destination is merely a waypoint on a greater journey.

In short, I find public transportation more human. I wish we were less beholden to automobiles!

Public transportation is like the front porch of yesteryear–it encourages social interconnectedness. Even if such interconnectedness is really superficial, it’s still magnitudes better than what we experience in our cars!

Sailing!

I’m really blessed to have finally hooked up with our yacht club! (The biggest yacht may only be 16 feet long but I’m looking forward to hoisting some canvas!)

One visit and I realized what I’ve been missing here in Japan–a guy place. In Tucson I had the race track and the r/c flying field, in Oklahoma City I had the ham radio club, in Rockport I had the fire department. I had nothing to really do with my hands here (excepting mowing the yard.)

Now I have something I can work on (sailboats require a lot of work!) And the benefit will be getting out on the water with good friends.

That’s one of the things about ministry, it’s very easy to let it become a white collar job, but that’s not the example given by Jesus!