Traffic lights and Freedom
When I first started traveling to the Dominican Republic more than twenty years ago, traffic lights were uncommon. And in many places, their initial installation was anything but successful. Unaccustomed to them, drivers would more or less ignore them, or at best, treat them like (optional) stop signs.
Then the DR began installing countdown timers at major intersections. Compliance radically improved. There was no uncertainty about how long the wait would be, and people got used to the system. Years later, city driving in the DR is still intense (I co-own a business there, so I’m there a lot). But it’s much less chaotic than it was.
Where there used to be deadlocked intersections and pure bedlam, there’s a semblance of order. Driving used to demand unrestrained vehicular machismo; if you were submissive, you’d never get anywhere. Now, there’s some give and take. The system of rules improved, yielding more freedom for everyone.
Traffic lights offer a great analogy for the co-dependency of rules and freedom. Think of the most annoying traffic light you encounter on a regular basis. It’s tedious. It’s annoying. It makes you stop; it makes you wait. It prevents you from going where you want to go right now.
And yet, ultimately, it is the very thing that facilitates your safe travel. It’s the ‘stop’ that enables you to ‘go.’ A bit of a conundrum, right? The red light lets you go. Oh - and, of course, it’s important to remember that it’s also what lets other people go. You know, while you’re stopped.
The next time you’re at a red light, tapping the steering wheel, take a moment to appreciate that glowing obstacle in front of you. We often think of rules and restrictions as inhibitors of our freedom. But within reason, well-designed rules create more freedom.