A sensitive (or sensible!) person may take pity on the tamed beast in a zoo. Captive animals often exhibit signs of distress and anxiety when forcibly placed in an environment that is boring, unstimulating, or uncanny.

The perceptive among you may notice yourself feeling similarly in the midst of a commute. Many larger cities that have succumbed to massive urban sprawl will have their citizens driving the same twenty minute (or longer) stretch of pavement, twice a day, five or more days a week, for years of end to reach their jobs, friends, or grocery stores.

It’s only human to zone out as you try to hopefully prepare some audio content to help you survive this trek - a podcast, some music perhaps. But in this day and age, we are seemingly not so easily entertained. It is so common for us to see our fellow man, completely distracted by their phones or in-car entertainment systems, rather than focusing on the very dangerous task at hand.

It’s no wonder that no amount of ad campaigns, fines or enforcements seems to solve the perplexing issue of texting-while-driving … it’s because driving is absolutely fucking boring. We cringe at the idea of someone sportingly floating the idea of a roadtrip as a group activity. How dull! Every road trip devolves into someone playing music to cover the awkward silence and lack of engagement.

It is mentally cruel to put people in small boxes for an hour of their day and expect them to focus on the very dangerous task at hand.

Conversely, biking to work offers an exhilarating early morning adventure that requires your full attention. When biking to work, you can assess new routes, discover new neighbourhoods, see little things that pique your interest. Maybe stop at a new store if you have more time.

With a car, you can sit patiently at every light as you catch up on a new podcast episode.

Many drivers will report that they don’t recall much of their commute, they just go into autopilot and dread their upcoming day. Cyclists report interesting things they saw - the mere act of exercising before you start your day is a guarantee that you’ll be feeling a lot better than you would be if someone cut you off in traffic and broke the false zen you created as you were lost in an episode of whatever murder bullshit tickles your fancy.

Many cyclists choose to commute without music or otherwise and appreciate the world around them. See how you can spare yourself this fate by taking the bikepill