Tuesday, October 03, 2006
On being catapulted into a real environment
posted by John Davies at 8:59 PM
Following on from yesterday's blog Adrian shared with me his memories of once being on a coach which broke down in Harlem, NYC. The driver rapidly decided to flee the scene and soon all the others on the coach also hailed taxis and fled. For fear of the 'real environment' which they'd found themselves unexpectedly in.
Which crystallised the thought that 'being catapulted into an environment that was real' can mean very different things depending on what sort of 'real' you're in. And being out of your 'comfort zone' can challenge your perception of what 'real' actually means. I'm sure that some folk who might break down on the dual carriageway just by our estate might react like that bus driver did in Harlem, but only because of a certain perception about the 'reality' of the area, which local people here would certainly not share (despite our recent gun feuds).
Maybe the best thing about transportation is that occasionally it lets us down. And then - and only then - are we left to face challenging, uncomfortable realities about ourselves and our fears, when our indifferent journey stops, beside the road in unfamiliar places, on cold stark platforms with total strangers, sharing a lifeboat with fellow-survivors.
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john davies
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