I was very conflicted when I received my 7th birthday gift—a bicycle
with training wheels. I tried to learn with assistance and fell, then
proclaimed that walking is the best mode of travel. Eventually, after much coercion
and some positive peer pressure, the training wheels came off. With the
holidays, the cycling spree also came to a close.
Fast forward two and a half years, I bought my new bicycle. It even
had gears! "Now I can go anywhere I want, anytime I want." Cycling
enabled me to commute to and from my dear school (on occasion), the wonderful
M. Prakash Academy and my exciting junior college. Every now and then, I joined friends
on breakfast trips to the Sinhagad base.
Fast forward another four years: I got a moped against my wishes.
Cycling is exercise! Cycling is green! Cycling is fun! "I can cope with
the speeds on roads. Why do I need a bike?" I was 19. My friends had been
driving mopeds for 3 years now. Since I already had a vehicle now, the least I
could do was apply for a license and learn it.
Fast forward two more years, and here I am learning how to drive a
car. "I can drive a moped comfortably now. I have almost 150 hours of
experience! That too on Pune roads!" Considering my future plans,
the requirement of a vehicle with larger capacities and higher speeds seemed
imminent. Furthermore, I have practically finished my studies (for the time
being). I had neither any argument against learning a car nor resistance
comparable to earlier.
When my college conducted a psychometric test about 2–3 years ago, my score on
"openness to experience" was unsurprisingly low. Of course, I was not pleased. Introspection turned my thoughts immediately
to the episodes mentioned above, and I've been working on being a better person
since.
PS: I plan to post about my driving school adventures (if everything
goes perfectly, I won't have anything to report). One thing I've observed from
the "Musings from my Commute" series is that metaphors and analogies
are ubiquitous, and easier to spot when travelling. As of now, I'm not nearly
close to joyously enjoying nature as I drive past monsoon roads. Maybe, I'll
find something in the very act of driving!
