ALT-1 The Daily Grind how Commuting is Bad for the Soul
Most people wouldn't commute to work if they had the option. Unfortunately, you have to go where the work is, and it isn't always convenient to move the house just to be closer to your place of work. Thus, unless you are lucky enough to land a job that is virtually on your doorstep, you have to get used to the daily commute. It's a shame, but fortunately you are not the only one to have to endure this torture—which is something to bear in mind when you're stuck behind a long line of cars containing fellow commuters all eager for the traffic lights to change.Of course, impatience always gets the better of you. How can you be sympathetic to the plight of your fellow commuters when they are the ones holding you up? You start to panic about being late, especially if this is not the first time. Every morning you tell yourself that you're going to get up earlier, eat breakfast a little bit faster and leave home on time. This rarely happens, though, and even on those occasions when you are on time, something else gets in the way to make you feel disgruntled. You might find yourself being diverted somewhere due to traffic lights or realise that you've left something at home and have to go back.Your daily commute is, therefore, a stressful time. You cannot relax and take in the scenery when it's early. You're feeling tired and barely alert, and you're worried about being late and the day ahead. Having to commute to work means you miss out on vital time that could be spent in bed or eating breakfast or talking to your children or partner. Instead, you are stuck in traffic listening to a radio giving you the latest updates on the traffic situation or the weather, even though you can see for yourself that the traffic isn't going anywhere and it's raining cats and dogs.There is always the option of public transport, but this isn't much better. The trains and buses never leave when you want them to leave. You have to get to the bus or train station in plenty of time to queue up to buy your ticket, only to find the fare has gone up by an exorbitant amount. Whilst you have decided which train will get you to work with plenty of time to spare, the train driver seems to have different ideas when the train is delayed and you're left wondering why you have to pay so much money to travel in such an inconvenient manner. This viewpoint is only compounded when you get on to the train and discover that there are no seats and lots of noisy children.Commuting is, therefore, most definitely bad for the soul, especially when the only reason you're travelling is to get to work in order to spend your whole day trying to earn some money. Mind you, a cheaper and slightly less stressful way to commute would be to get on your bike. You get to save money, get some exercise and help save the environment—if only laziness wasn't such a problem!
