I was driving through a quiet neighborhood the other day, and I saw something that’s become disturbingly common. A car blew right through a stop sign. It wasn’t just a slow roll or an absentminded mistake — they were in a rush. This isn’t rare. It’s part of the everyday choreography of life in the Bay Area: people running red lights, speeding on residential streets, weaving through traffic with a frenetic sense of urgency. Why are we all in such a rush? What’s the destination we’re so desperate to reach that we’d risk our own lives — and others’ — to get there just a few seconds faster?
In the Bay Area, the sheer volume of traffic law violations seems ironic. Isn’t this the place where ideas for better futures are hatched? Yet, day after day, we watch people cut corners — literally and figuratively — as if life was a race to the next stoplight.
The root of this behavior runs deeper than a mere desire to get somewhere quicker. On the surface, it might seem like simple impatience or an unconscious calculation. But what if the speed and lawlessness we see on our streets is reflective of something more profound — a collective, existential rush?
This is a region filled with dreamers, tech wizards and high achievers constantly on the move. But there’s a flip side to this hustle culture. We’ve been conditioned to believe that speed is synonymous with success, that being in a hurry is a signal of importance. It’s almost as though every extra moment spent in transit is a loss — a missed email, a delayed meeting, another few seconds of falling behind in the ever-relentless pursuit of ... what? Money? Power? Prestige?
The deeper question is, what are we actually chasing?
We often talk about the need for efficiency — to optimize our time and our lives. But as we run red lights and roll through stop signs, we risk losing something much more valuable: a sense of mindfulness and safety, both for ourselves and others. When we prioritize a few minutes over the human lives that cross our paths, we’ve lost the plot.
At its core, I think this rush reflects an underlying societal anxiety — a feeling that we must always be doing more, producing more and achieving more. Our culture rewards productivity and speed, but at what cost? Are we rushing because we genuinely need to be somewhere sooner, or are we rushing because we feel that constant pressure to be more?
What if we slowed down? What if we embraced a mindset that valued presence over haste, quality over quantity? Imagine if drivers in the Bay Area approached every intersection with care, with a pause. Not just because it’s the law, but because it’s a moment to check in with oneself and the world around us. A stop sign becomes a reminder to breathe, a red light an invitation to relax — small breaks in the frenzy of daily life.
The shift starts with an individual decision to change perspective. What if we saw these pauses not as inconveniences but as opportunities? We often talk about mindfulness as something we practice on a yoga mat or a meditation cushion. But what if we practiced it while driving? Slowing down could become a form of resistance against the forces that constantly push us toward speed, success and anxiety.
And think about the ripple effects. Beyond the obvious reduction in accidents, injuries and stress, what would happen to our collective psyche if we weren’t all in such a hurry? Wouldn’t our communities feel safer, friendlier? Wouldn’t we be less irritable, less prone to road rage, less anxious about getting ahead? If we stopped rushing through our lives, perhaps we’d also stop rushing through our interactions with one another. We’d have time to be more present with our families, our friends and ourselves.
Ultimately, the question isn’t just why we’re in such a rush, but what are we really rushing toward? Are we speeding through life on autopilot, forgetting that the journey is every bit as important as the destination?
If we stopped for the yellow light instead of speeding through it, if we came to a complete halt at the stop sign, we might just discover that the world waits for us, patient and still. And maybe, in the stillness, we’d remember that the most important things in life can’t be hurried — connection, joy, peace of mind.
In the end, where we’re going isn’t nearly as important as how we get there.
(5) comments
Nice column as usual Mark. I'd say you may have tasked an AI bot to write a bit on the philosophical side, and write about our rush to "GET THERE" versus our ultimate destination.
Hey Mike. Would you email me? Mark.simon24@yahoo.com
Thanks for highlighting this important issue, Mark. The fact is that you are far more likely to be killed or maimed by your neighbor than by a criminal with a gun or knife, yet we obsess far more on the latter.
People will always cheat for their personal interest. We need our elected officials and city staff to build roads that discourage speeding and protect those who walk and bike (and drive!). Unfortunately, several elected officials have prioritized speed and convenience over safety. Look at the recent vote by the Burlingame City Council in opposition to safety improvements in front of two of their largest schools, on one of its most dangerous streets. Why? Because improving safety might inconvenience those who drive (as quickly as they can).
We can't expect people to put safety first if those who are elected to protect us don't do the same.
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Simon, but should we assume folks treating traffic laws as “guidelines” are doing it only to save time? Are there polls to show retirees are traffic scofflaws to a lesser degree because supposedly, they don’t have a job to get to and have more “free” time? Are there polls to show traffic scofflaws on a per capita ratio are higher in urban vs. suburban vs. rural areas? Are there been any polls to show traffic scofflaws are more prevalent in “blue” vs. “red” cities?
Perhaps it is deeper than that. Perhaps it is resistance against the “man” or an entitlement attitude or a failure to respect authority or they don’t feel they’ll be caught? We’ve seen BLM protesters cause $billions in damage and yet, how many people have been held accountable? We’ve seen folks clogging up freeways in protests with no accountability. We’ve seen folks glorifying a terrorist group while also preventing Jewish students from going to class get a pass with no accountability (until now). We see convicted criminals being released early by a governor because of overcrowding and because of COVID. I guess you do the crime, you don’t do the time, much or at all.
On a greater scale, we see millions of people illegally crossing the border to invade America and there are no consequences (until now). When we’re surrounded by lawlessness, and/or a lack of enforcement, and/or when tacit approval of criminal acts is given, why would we think “little” things such as people running red lights, speeding on residential streets, weaving through traffic with a frenetic sense of urgency would not occur? When you don’t enforce law and order, don’t be surprised when you get less law and order.
Strivers. Everyone is striving because it is equated with surviving. No one wants to be the loser who loses status, money, their jobs. And the kids know this truth from their parents' values to be on top, to get the grades and then some, to be equal to the challenge. Yet so many cannot and will not attain what is considered to be success. Aging people, people with disabilities. They learn the value of slowing down because they have no option. Striving is never slowing down, never losing. It's unconscious now and never stops. It only abates when you just can't anymore or consciously decide not to.
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