Life in the Too Fast Lane

The recent volcano ash travel crisis has really shown up how dependent we’ve become on fast international travel by air. We do business across continents and holiday in far flung places without a thought for how huge those distances are. We have second or even third homes in different countries that we expect to visit every weekend or so. We conduct relationships with partners, spouses and family who live in other nations as if they all lived in an adjoining neighbourhood. We expect fresh fruit and veg from distant climates such as strawberries and lettuce in winter and newly cut mediterranean flowers in our centrally heated homes. But the natural world is not the kiddies playground that we have to think it is - there’s no rubberized, bouncy ground for us to fall on or health and safety legislation to give us someone to sue if we hurt ourselves by being in places and doing things that put ourselves at risk.

All this came to mind as I read stories of travellers having a horrendous time getting to their destinations by alternative means like ferry, train and coach or car. We expect to be able to fly from southern Europe to the UK in a couple of hours and are devastated and exhausted when it takes us 24 or 48 hours or more by other mechanized means. We’ve forgotten that we’re talking about crossing a continent here. We’ve forgotten how tiny and puny we are without the mechanical, electronic and industrialized extensions of our selves and identity that have been created for us over the last century. We’ve forgotten to respect the vastness of the oceans, the ruggedness of the land mass and the power of the mountains that surround us. When you have to make your way by foot or horse or by sail, you are at the mercy of whatever you encounter - brigands, flood, scorching sun, high winds and storms. In centuries before our time, travel was dangerous and took a long time - and people understood and were in awe of the natural landscapes and forces around them.

That is not to say that I would want us all to go back to those times. But I think this current travel crisis is an opportunity for us all to reflect on how complacent and cossetted - and distanced from the natural power of our world - we have become. It’s no bad thing to have the time suddenly to think about how we’ve set up our lives. Do we really need several homes in several countries? Do we need to fly across continents for a weekend break? Do we need strawberries in winter? I’m no greeny tree hugger and I’m not advocating a puritanical lifestyle but taking the time to question some of our expectations and constructs about what makes a good life, slowing down to become more aware of ourselves and the desires that pull us unsustainably can only be a good thing.

Photo: thanks to Powerhouse Museum from flickr.com (CCL)