It can be frustrating when you just miss catching a light. If only you left 3 seconds earlier you would be happily passing through that yellow and excited to be arriving at your destination one minute earlier.
But, you took too long to cue up that new Pink ditty (I don’t know if people still listen to Pink or if anyone calls songs ditty) and now here you are stuck first in line behind a fresh red.
Which leads us to the type of person you are. Do you eye that stoplight like a hawk, waiting for the second when it switches to green? For reference we will call these people Light Hawks (kind of like Lincoln Hawk from Over the Top, but not really. I just wanted to reference my favorite arm-wrestling movie). Or, knowing that you are at the head of the convoy, with no chance of missing the upcoming light, do you nonchalantly fiddle with your tuning settings to get the most out of Pink’s trademark vocal grit (come on guys Pink is still cool)? For reference we will call these people Knob Fiddlers.
You are probably expecting me to provide some sort of Myers-Briggs analysis based on which type of green light watcher you are…
Light Hawk
- This is the correct way to approach the red light predicament as you are doing your part to ensure that as many people as possible get through the light
- You are thoughtful
- You are mindful
- You are respectful
- You are helpful
- It’s like in the 1963 cinematic masterpiece The Great Escape when the lights go out during the escape, and the allies try to get out as many POWs as possible
Knob Fiddler
- How dare you!
- You are selfish
- You are aloof
- You are an impeder
- You are everything that is wrong with society
- It’s like in the 1990 cinematic masterpiece Home Alone when Buzz eats all the cheese pizza, leaving nothing for Kevin
I might have to do more research, but I believe the Myers-Briggs inventory is a little more balanced with it’s personality types.
Ultimately, be a Light Hawk and help you fellow human beings reach their final destinations 1-2 minutes earlier.
DISCLAIMER – In Outrage Over Time I shared the dangers of a binary mindset, so I am kind of walking that back here, but it’s my blog, so I can do what I want, and this post is more playful, where Outrage Over Time essentially provides a blueprint on how to fix humanity (you’re welcome).
I think it might be fun to next explore what you expect from the type of car in front of you? Do you expect them to be watching the light if they are in a sports car? Do they respond slower if in a Buick? I mean this thing could get extended a bit.
I would say we need a case study, but if you take data on how the car in front of you reacts to the light turning green, you will become a Knob Fiddler and slow up everyone behind you.