Night Drive

I've always wanted to make a night time driving video.

I find driving at night therapeutic. It gives me time to think about the things most people think about in the shower.

Initially I intended this video to be a quick demonstration of what a relatively long driving video would look like if it was sped up.

But while I was editing this video I noticed uncanny similarities that driving shares with many aspects of life. A new idea is born.

I refer you to the start of our driving adventure. You begin in life not really knowing where you're going or where your life will lead you. Some of us have stronger ideas of where we want to go, some of us don't and that's fine. You don't always have to know the way.

So we drive on. Gotta keep moving.

You begin to notice that during your voyage you come across people driving in the same direction as you (in the video's case that would be the cars in the same lane). They represent your family, friends, workmates and members of society heading towards a similar goal as you. But it's not long until you must part ways and diverge lanes, just as we do in everyday life when it's time to say goodbye.

People will come and go in your life. As sad as it may seem, this way we get to meet different people and experience new things.

While you're driving along, living your life, you start to realise how beautiful the journey is. The lights, the quality time you've spent with the people you care about and the fascinating new things you've learnt along the way...it's nothing short of breathtaking.

Sure there'll be speed-bumps, hiccups and detours that get in your way but they just remind you to focus more on the journey, not the destination. It's okay to make mistakes, and we can't be afraid to admit them. We learn faster that way.

Then you realise how fast you're traveling. We sometimes forget how much time vanishes right in front of us. Nevertheless, there will be some people who like to live the fast life, to push their cars to the red-line. They yearn for the thrill of speed and the excitement of not knowing what's around the corner. I've never really understood that.

The faster you go, the more scenery and beauty you miss out on.

Other people prefer a leisurely cruise and to relish the great memories they've had. They don't mash the throttle or try to rush their lives. They don't like getting older. They want to be kids. They want to be naïve, to be oblivious of the messy world we live in.

Part of me likes to think that I'm in this category. I despise the idea of growing up. But if we don't grow up, that would be like driving in reverse gear all the time, constantly looking out of the back window and living in the past. That's just as bad as living life too quickly. You don't even get the chance to see anything before it's all over.

Perhaps the message I am trying to send out is not to live your life so quickly that everything whizzes past in a colourful blur, but not so slowly that you miss out on opportunities to see what the world has to offer. Find the speed that is right for you.

You only live once, so make this one the drive of your life.



Watch the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAla_liQhIg