The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
There were three cars on their own separate, barren roads, all of equal length and copycat structures. They were behind a white line that signaled the beginning, waiting for the light to turn from red to green.
The three drivers all were aware of on thing: at the end of the road, they'll all crash into each other and die. There was no way around it.
The first driver drove ridiculously slow (10 mph). The driver looked at his speed gauge and thought he'd better slow down even more (5 mph), because he was so shaken up by the thought of how the drive will end. He was attempting to prolong his life, only to spend his extra minutes in fear.
The second driver drove ridiculously. That's it. Ridiculously. He did a series of burnouts, drifting, ditch driving, and all sorts of crap that could've easily got him killed. In his mind, the risks were exactly the same as what was waiting for him, and the other two, at the end of the drive. He thought he'd might as well have excessive, careless fun.
Then there was the third driver. She wasn't driving recklessly or over-carefully, she was driving at just the right speed to give herself a chance to enjoy the view of the hillsides, the blue sky, and the sunlight's beauty reflecting off of everything.
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The first driver's car broke down, and he had to walk the rest of the way to his fate in misery.
The second driver ended up hitting a pole head on at nearly a hundred miles per hour, and he flew through the window and died before he even got to the finish line.
The third driver arrived at the finish line, but there was no crash. Instead, a man greeted her, congratulated her, and asked her to come with him. So she took his hand and together they moved on.
The three drivers all were aware of on thing: at the end of the road, they'll all crash into each other and die. There was no way around it.
The first driver drove ridiculously slow (10 mph). The driver looked at his speed gauge and thought he'd better slow down even more (5 mph), because he was so shaken up by the thought of how the drive will end. He was attempting to prolong his life, only to spend his extra minutes in fear.
The second driver drove ridiculously. That's it. Ridiculously. He did a series of burnouts, drifting, ditch driving, and all sorts of crap that could've easily got him killed. In his mind, the risks were exactly the same as what was waiting for him, and the other two, at the end of the drive. He thought he'd might as well have excessive, careless fun.
Then there was the third driver. She wasn't driving recklessly or over-carefully, she was driving at just the right speed to give herself a chance to enjoy the view of the hillsides, the blue sky, and the sunlight's beauty reflecting off of everything.
-----------------
The first driver's car broke down, and he had to walk the rest of the way to his fate in misery.
The second driver ended up hitting a pole head on at nearly a hundred miles per hour, and he flew through the window and died before he even got to the finish line.
The third driver arrived at the finish line, but there was no crash. Instead, a man greeted her, congratulated her, and asked her to come with him. So she took his hand and together they moved on.
