Asian Drivers
Believe it or not, there is a massive stereotype on Asian drivers. At risk of offending some people, here is a link to describe such said stereotype that was not written or endorsed by me ;) - see link. After the last 3 weeks in China, I have realized that Asians aren’t bad drivers, they are idealistic drivers.
In North America, driving is a full visual experience – checking blind spots, looking in your rear-view mirror, knowing your surroundings, etc. In China however, driving is a “forward” visual experience, only looking at your next move to ensure you reach your eventually desired destination. This is similar to the 1980’s video game Frogger – instead of pedestrians trying to dodge cars while walking across the street, cars are trying to dodge other cars and motorbikes while they push through the pollution.
I don’t see this type of driving as a bad thing. There is no road rage, drivers don’t get mad at one another, it is actually a very peaceful experience (sans pollution). North Americans, as I will probably mention many times, do not like to live in the present – they get caught up in the past and the future trying to chase or dwell upon the uncontrollable and unchangeable – the base to the majority of the stress and depression in our society.
The Chinese however seem to live in the “now” and the present – their driving is a prime example of this “ideology”. Instead of worrying what is behind (rear view mirror) or in front (the destination), the Chinese focus on what is directly happening to them at that given moment - one Frogger step at a time.
Louisa and I, like most of us, are trying harder to live in the now – this World Tour is definitely helping and we hope we can bring our “Asian Driving” back home.
So the next time you get into your car and run into this ideology (figuratively of course), don’t get angry or upset, embrace it and try to use it in your everyday life. Live in the now.
For those you who want to reminisce about the 80's - here is a link to an online version of Frogger - http://www.frogger.net/
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