Have you ever been driving around aimlessly looking for a place to eat? You don't necessarily have a place in mind, you are just hoping that something pops out at you. Or maybe you are looking for an apartment to rent, or a house to buy. Or you are just bored and are enjoying the drive. Or you are out looking for cool christmas light displays on houses. Or you are listening to an audio book on your car's cd player and are way into the story and don't want to stop driving. There could be a million reasons. Basically, you are driving around aimlessly with little or no time constraints, and you are in some cases relying a little bit on luck to find your eventual final destination. Let me introduce the Driving Theory of the Path of Least Resistance. Recently, on Melissa's blog ... she mentioned this theory, and I think it deserves a little more explanation.
Here are the rules:
Think of yourself as a drop of water that is rolling around on a surface. When presented with a driving choice, i.e. which way should a turn, should a go straight or turn, which lane should I be in, always choose the path of least resistance. Say, you are approaching an intersection and the light is red, but you can turn right without waiting. Turn right, because waiting for a red light is blocking your way, impeding your pregress, causing some resistance. If a drop of water encounters a barrier, it just flows in the direction that it can, usually around the barrier. If the light is green, and you can either go straight or turn. Look at how the road is sloping. You don't want to be going up any steep hills. However, going down hills is resistance free. If going straight looks boring, goes up a hill, or any other reason pops in your head that you wouldn't want to go straight, turn. Turn left only if you don't have to wait for any other cars to pass, turn right otherwise. If you are approaching an intersection and you are choosing which lane to be in. Choose the lane with the least amount of cars, especially if there are no cars in one lane, you want to be the first car in line, because you are then able to proceed unimpeded by a car in front of you determining the speed. Also important to this theory is to introduce random decisions to your driving. Remember the scene in Jurassic Park when the mathematician is demonstrating randomness by dropping water on skin and showing how it flows (I think that happened in the movie). Basically he is saying that random discrepancies in the skin surface, air pressure, etc, determine which way the water will in the short term. Eventually it will all flow to the ocean based upon which side of the Great Divide it is on. However, the path of least resistance involves driving to minimize inconvenience. Not only is your car blocked at an intersection buy you are also becoming frustrated because you aren't moving. Upon making every driving decision you should ask, which direction involves the path of least resistance for me emotionally. If going straight is going to stress you out because you will be heading onto the freeway and end up in Wendover, or something, you should turn. If you want to turn right because there are some cool looking old houses that way, turn right. Basically follow ever little whim that pops into your head, and if nothing pops into your head make sure you follow the drop of water principal. Oh, by the way I'm going to start a restaurant and the lowest elevation in Salt Lake City, so tell every one else about this principal.
Here are the rules:
Think of yourself as a drop of water that is rolling around on a surface. When presented with a driving choice, i.e. which way should a turn, should a go straight or turn, which lane should I be in, always choose the path of least resistance. Say, you are approaching an intersection and the light is red, but you can turn right without waiting. Turn right, because waiting for a red light is blocking your way, impeding your pregress, causing some resistance. If a drop of water encounters a barrier, it just flows in the direction that it can, usually around the barrier. If the light is green, and you can either go straight or turn. Look at how the road is sloping. You don't want to be going up any steep hills. However, going down hills is resistance free. If going straight looks boring, goes up a hill, or any other reason pops in your head that you wouldn't want to go straight, turn. Turn left only if you don't have to wait for any other cars to pass, turn right otherwise. If you are approaching an intersection and you are choosing which lane to be in. Choose the lane with the least amount of cars, especially if there are no cars in one lane, you want to be the first car in line, because you are then able to proceed unimpeded by a car in front of you determining the speed. Also important to this theory is to introduce random decisions to your driving. Remember the scene in Jurassic Park when the mathematician is demonstrating randomness by dropping water on skin and showing how it flows (I think that happened in the movie). Basically he is saying that random discrepancies in the skin surface, air pressure, etc, determine which way the water will in the short term. Eventually it will all flow to the ocean based upon which side of the Great Divide it is on. However, the path of least resistance involves driving to minimize inconvenience. Not only is your car blocked at an intersection buy you are also becoming frustrated because you aren't moving. Upon making every driving decision you should ask, which direction involves the path of least resistance for me emotionally. If going straight is going to stress you out because you will be heading onto the freeway and end up in Wendover, or something, you should turn. If you want to turn right because there are some cool looking old houses that way, turn right. Basically follow ever little whim that pops into your head, and if nothing pops into your head make sure you follow the drop of water principal. Oh, by the way I'm going to start a restaurant and the lowest elevation in Salt Lake City, so tell every one else about this principal.
Comments
I'm suddently intrigued as to what would be a good name for this restaurant you're planning. Ideas anyone?
Mark: Where do you want to eat?
Me: I don't care, you pick.
Mark: No, you can pick.
Me: Well I'm not really in the mood for anything, so if you're in the mood for something you should really pick.
Mark: How about Chinese?
Me: Ew, not Chinese.
Mark: How about Wingers or a burger somewhere?
Me: I'm not in the mood for a burger.
Mark: But you just said--
Me: I know but--How about Mexican?
Mark: Fine.
This might be more of a satire on the perplexing communication skills of women...but I'm just saying. I, too, drive aimlessly.
But anyways, I don't know about you, but I always imagine myself as a drop of water rolling across the world. The path of least resistance has always been my goal; your thoughtful insights have inspired me to continue in my ways. Oh, and what kind of cuisine would Le Restaurant de Jonathan be serving?
"Upon making every driving decision you should ask, which direction involves the path of least resistance for me emotionally."