Random thoughts on Commuting:
1.Bruce Cockburn is the most amazing guitarist – despite the rather awkward spelling of his name.
2.People in their natural state are essentially polite and well behaved. When the trains are on time, and everything is running smoothly, then people take turns in line, respect one anothers' space, and are generally well mannered. Once that schedule starts to break down, people panic very quickly - “I'm going to be late and get fired”, “I'm not going to make it to the babysitter's on time, and it will cost me a fortune.” One school of thought would be, “Why fret over something you can't control?” The truth is that this flies in the face of human nature. People by their very nature tend to worry (that's why we so revere those who don't). But worry turns quickly into hostility, and when people are angry, they take it out on anyone they can. That's when it's a good idea to flip your GO Transit ID badge over so nobody can see it. As Seth Godin wrote recently, Emotional Intelligence is a rare and wonderful thing.
3.For years I had heard about people who “struggle to get to work, slave away from 9-5 in a little grey cubicle under bosses who don't get it, and are essentially unable to determine their destiny. Then they struggle home and collapse. Now that I am ostensibly one of those people, and on the eve of Seth(there he is AGAIN)'s new book, “Lynchpins”, I find myself contemplating what one does to make a relative grind of a job enjoyable. Is the secret in Tom Peters' “Personal Service Firm”? To make yourself so bloody amazing at what you do that you are utterly indispensible – at which point you (so the theory goes) get to play a greater part in the decision making process? Years ago I went for lunch with the Rt Hon. Joe Clark, and someone around the table (it was a group of students), rather rudely asked Joe how he felt about all the battles he had lost. “It's not whether you win or lose” replied Joe patiently. “It's whether or not you had influence.” Brilliant. That's all 90% of people reallly want: To be able to influence the outcome.
4.Technology is crucial for a long commute. Whether it's a good book (yes, books are a form of technology, just not a high-tech form), an iPod, or some other electronic device, a crossword/sudoku, or the like. People who didn't come prepared tend to have a terrible blank look in their eyes. Either that or they nap. These are the people who probably aren't going to influence the outcome today.
5.The focus of everybody in the 2.0 guru world these days is on creativity. The problem is, that modern society (as they are all quick to observe) does not reward particularly creative people. Think of the 10 acts at the top of the music charts, or the 10 most popular novelists – and they are for the most part creatively bankrupt. Society for the most part views creative acts as a product to be consumed – Piers Anthony and his 'Extruded Fantasty Product'. And the response is to treat the creative process as more like that of manufacturing. This is not going to change, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. It's just an observation.
6.If you have a choice between public transit methods for getting home, whichever one you choose will take longer than the other would have. I officially declare this “Allen's 2nd Law”
7.Allen's First Law was: “The less that's at stake, the nastier the politics.” Think about it. On Parliament Hill, they rip each other's throats out in question period, but for the most part (personal grudges against Stephen Harper notwithstanding) are able to go out for beers afterwards, and generally get along. Meanwhile, have you been to a Home and School Association meeting recently? Or, God help you, a meeting of a Provincial parent volunteer organization dedicated to improving the lives of special needs children? Just sayin'.
1.Bruce Cockburn is the most amazing guitarist – despite the rather awkward spelling of his name.
2.People in their natural state are essentially polite and well behaved. When the trains are on time, and everything is running smoothly, then people take turns in line, respect one anothers' space, and are generally well mannered. Once that schedule starts to break down, people panic very quickly - “I'm going to be late and get fired”, “I'm not going to make it to the babysitter's on time, and it will cost me a fortune.” One school of thought would be, “Why fret over something you can't control?” The truth is that this flies in the face of human nature. People by their very nature tend to worry (that's why we so revere those who don't). But worry turns quickly into hostility, and when people are angry, they take it out on anyone they can. That's when it's a good idea to flip your GO Transit ID badge over so nobody can see it. As Seth Godin wrote recently, Emotional Intelligence is a rare and wonderful thing.
3.For years I had heard about people who “struggle to get to work, slave away from 9-5 in a little grey cubicle under bosses who don't get it, and are essentially unable to determine their destiny. Then they struggle home and collapse. Now that I am ostensibly one of those people, and on the eve of Seth(there he is AGAIN)'s new book, “Lynchpins”, I find myself contemplating what one does to make a relative grind of a job enjoyable. Is the secret in Tom Peters' “Personal Service Firm”? To make yourself so bloody amazing at what you do that you are utterly indispensible – at which point you (so the theory goes) get to play a greater part in the decision making process? Years ago I went for lunch with the Rt Hon. Joe Clark, and someone around the table (it was a group of students), rather rudely asked Joe how he felt about all the battles he had lost. “It's not whether you win or lose” replied Joe patiently. “It's whether or not you had influence.” Brilliant. That's all 90% of people reallly want: To be able to influence the outcome.
4.Technology is crucial for a long commute. Whether it's a good book (yes, books are a form of technology, just not a high-tech form), an iPod, or some other electronic device, a crossword/sudoku, or the like. People who didn't come prepared tend to have a terrible blank look in their eyes. Either that or they nap. These are the people who probably aren't going to influence the outcome today.
5.The focus of everybody in the 2.0 guru world these days is on creativity. The problem is, that modern society (as they are all quick to observe) does not reward particularly creative people. Think of the 10 acts at the top of the music charts, or the 10 most popular novelists – and they are for the most part creatively bankrupt. Society for the most part views creative acts as a product to be consumed – Piers Anthony and his 'Extruded Fantasty Product'. And the response is to treat the creative process as more like that of manufacturing. This is not going to change, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. It's just an observation.
6.If you have a choice between public transit methods for getting home, whichever one you choose will take longer than the other would have. I officially declare this “Allen's 2nd Law”
7.Allen's First Law was: “The less that's at stake, the nastier the politics.” Think about it. On Parliament Hill, they rip each other's throats out in question period, but for the most part (personal grudges against Stephen Harper notwithstanding) are able to go out for beers afterwards, and generally get along. Meanwhile, have you been to a Home and School Association meeting recently? Or, God help you, a meeting of a Provincial parent volunteer organization dedicated to improving the lives of special needs children? Just sayin'.
posted by Jason Allen at 7:56 PM
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