I made a very interesting and important discovery for myself in Asia.
I have some thoughts about injustice.
But I may be wrong when I think I have the right to write about it.
Drive smart!
I have written about Asian traffic in several separate articles, and I have mentioned it in a few stories.
My former self would say that people here use the roads like an uneducated bunch. Today I put it differently. Here in Asia, they use the roads according to habits and practices that are completely different from those I have lived my whole life.
Of the many colorful road experiences, I will let the three that come to mind the most quickly speak.
Indonesia: I was crossing the road at a designated pedestrian crossing. Several drivers turning left from the main road also chose this path. Since no car signaled their intention to let me pass, I bravely stepped onto the road. I had double priority. There was a police officer standing on the other side of the road. Neither my presence nor the double priority deterred the driver from speeding forward. The police officer’s whistle was the only thing that convinced him not to hit me.
Thailand: The situation is the same: I crossed the road at a designated pedestrian crossing. Which was also controlled by a traffic light. I was fully aware of my double protection, because the cars here didn’t care that their light was red, that they were crossing a pedestrian crossing where someone was. One of the drivers was indignant. He signaled this by placing the front of his car in the middle of the zebra crossing, a centimeter away from my feet, and honking his horn for half a minute.
Vietnam: A truck in the oncoming lane, moving a little slowly. Behind it, a bus starts to overtake, turning the corner and crossing the double line on the road. At incredible speed. I am driving in my own lane, innocent as a lamb born today. The triple-illegal driver takes my presence for granted and blows his horn at my hair.
These are everyday experiences here. And I mean this very seriously.
Being invisible in the jungle
I had to figure out that the correct term is that I am invisible in the jungle.
Walking the trail as a pedestrian, most big game ignores me. And take that very seriously! If you cross paths with a vehicle, assume that it will neither swerve nor slow down. Any vehicle larger than you is a potential enemy. They are above you in the food chain. You’ll come off worse.
As a motorcyclist, expect nothing less. When you are on a motorcycle, pedestrians will see you, but for some reason, those larger than you will not. If you see a car swerving into your lane, slow down or change lanes. If they see you, don’t even bother. He is already full and is trudging home with dignity.
I have found that it is easier to exist in the jungle with the awareness of invisibility. If this is my basic assumption, it will only be a pleasant disappointment if someone notices me. And let’s say they don’t want to eat me.
In an interesting way, a realization and an intention met in me regarding this.
In the past few months, when asked who I am a few times, I answered that I am nobody.
And this is a liberating feeling. I experience my clear insignificance to the universe with liberation.
Asian transportation provides good confirmation of this.
I have no rights
My thoughts on invisibility are much earlier than my thoughts on injustice.
I used to be the wild animal that would bite if its rights were violated. I had to prove that I was right!
There was a time when I made a scene over 5 dgk salami. Or I made a few people uncomfortable if someone didn’t say hello back.
Because of this, I was often rude and aggressive. A dick, I would tell myself about my former self. Today, I would rather say that I was not patient with myself or others.
I was also outraged many times when I read, heard, or saw injustice happening to others in a movie. Be it any dark period of human history or a fictional story.
Here in Asia, I understood that in certain situations I don’t have to live up to my expectations related to the law.
Today I no longer expect people to stop at zebra crossings. I prefer to walk away as if they didn’t see me. In a strange way, this makes me feel safer.
When I realized that no one and nothing owes me anything, this expectation became easier. I wrote about this in my post “Forgive yourself, Soma!”
I was a hedgehog for a long time. I was afraid of injustice. Fear drove me.
Today I don’t have to curl up at everything that comes my way.
Buy me a coffee?
If you enjoyed this story, you can buy me a coffee. You don’t have to – but it means a lot and I always turn it into a new adventure.
Buy a coffee for Steve
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