Crash Ripple Wonderment

The other day I hailed a cab. I was considering taking the subway but I was feeling lazy and said screw it so I stuck my arm out to flag one down. A cab pulled over and stopped for me and I got in. A cab behind my cab decided to swerve around to pass us and that cab crashed into a Lexus. My cab pulled away and I looked out the back window (like little Tim Robbins in Mystic River) wondering about what that crash back there may have caused....

It was just a fenderbender so no one was hurt but I thought about how it changed things. Maybe that cabbie would have to take some time off work to get his car fixed? Was it one accident too many? Would he lose his license? Would he change careers? Would he get a night off and go out and meet the love of his life? Maybe. And what about lexus guy? Maybe he'd be late for a meeting? Was it super important? Would the whole discussion be changed because he wasn't there? Would that ever so slightly affect the direction of the company? A whole department of people? Ever so slightly?

Also maybe he'd call a tow truck too. The tow truck guy's day is affected now. Was he leaving work when he got the call and now had to cancel something? Or a cop shows up to take a report. Then the cop's day is affected. And tomorrow, lexus guy might have to go deal with a mechanic. That changes the mechanics day. All their lives may have just been changed by a fraction but they were definitely changed.

Also because the cars were stopped on the road blocking two lanes everyone behind them had their paths were changed ever so slightly. People had to drive around the crash which caused a slight traffic jam. Which caused everyone to be a little later then they would have been otherwise. Maybe a little more annoyed. And maybe the people who saw the crash would go home and tell their families about it. Which would change the pattern of the conversation as it would have been otherwise. Would they grow closer as a family? Maybe the slight traffic delay somehow saved a life somewhere down the road? And so on and so on. Blah blah blah.

Anyway I was just thinking bout that giant sized (possibly worldwide?) subtle rippling effect that happened all because I stuck my arm out to hail a cab.... because I was feeling lazy.

ok bye!

tOdd