I love being able to get where I want to go without having to go through every little Podunk town to get there. That is, when I’m in a hurry to get somewhere. Who really wants to get their hands dirty with the true American life that happens in those small towns? There’s no point in finding the hidden jewels in our culture when we can race to the next GPS Point of Interest and bypass all that real life stuff.
In other words, we’ve systematically eliminated the joy of driving from point A to point Z by removing every other letter in the alphabet. I believe the bypasses exist just to remind us that life moves at a quick never-ending pace and that if we drive the interstates and follow every bypass, it’s just like a life that doesn’t slow down for the simple things. You’ll definitely get where you’re going fast. But, remember, we all have the same final destination in this life and it’s not one that I’m dying to reach quickly.
Robert Frost wrote in his signature poem, “The Road Not Taken,” “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”. Every time you find yourself on an Interstate Bypass rushing to your destination, remember Frost’s poem and remember the old adage that it is not the destination that important but the journey.
Even Hollywood has tapped into this with the popular movies “Cars” and “Doc Hollywood” and I’m sure many others.