These Difficult Times

Welcome to These Difficult Times! Welcome to the Transit Strike!

On this blog I will write about and discuss what I will refer to as the Law Of Difficulty.

What is The Law Of Difficulty, you ask? It is a philosophical system of satisfaction and way of life that seeks to empower you, the reader of this webpage, with a simple (yet counterintuitive) path toward tangible satisfaction and pleasure. As you read these pages, I will continue to lay the groundwork and fundaments of this law.

But, to inaugurate this website first entry, I will begin with a short post about a central tenet of this philosophy, one that is exemplified by the disruptive effects of the New York City MTA Transit strike, which is currently choking the economy of New York to a grinding halt, in perfect synchronicity with the holiday shopping season.

THE TRANSIT STRIKE
Let me now state that I support the transit strike. As an agent of refreshing contrast to convenience, ease, and technology, the strike has forced millions of people to either stay home from work or to find another way, either by commuting by car with other people, or by bicycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, scootering, running, and, most of all, by walking.

What has the strike done to New Yorkers? It has deeply disrupted the lives of nearly every New Yorker. But has it ruined their lives? No. Has it forced them to appreciate the myriad of methods of transportation available to them, including their own legs and feet? Yes, it has. From the perspective of taking technology like this for granted, has the strike been a step backwards in technological progress? Yes, it has. But is this step backward refreshing? Yes, but only if you are a New Yorker who is prepared to forgo the conveniences of highway and railway transportation.

As a difficulty of obvious weight and importance to the New York metropolitan area, the transit strike is one that hits different people in different ways, but please remember this: Difficulties are not always burdens. Sometimes they present avenues to satisfaction.

After walking seven miles to work, did you not feel satisfied? After walking past people trapped in their cars, honking and impatient within the incredible gridlock that froze the island of Manhattan, did you not feel glad you at least could walk? When was the last time you appreciated the simple act of walking? If you are like me, sometimes you go a long time without thinking of little things like this.

The idea that difficulties are not always burdens is one of the central ideas within the Law of Difficulty.