North Egg and The Red Light

I had an idea for a rather profound post about a red light.

Oh, I was ready but couldn't entirely steer it where I wanted it to go.

I was going to name-drop F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby.

If you don't know, Jay Gatsby had a green light he was fascinated with. It's an important use of symbolism in the book. Daisy -- the object of his desire -- has the light on her dock on East Egg. Gatsby can see it -- barely -- from his West Egg home.

Meanwhile, here in the fictional "North Egg..."

I have a red light. I can't often see it directly. Oh, I can if I walk outside, but from my windows, I can only see its reflection off nearby buildings.

In reading analysis of The Great Gatsby, one version is that the light is a symbol of hope.

That, frankly, I like. I know there are other, deeper, more intense breakdowns of it but I simply love the concept of it being about hope.

Hope, I know, is a dangerous thing.

I'll leave whatever the interpretation of the green light is to those smarter than me (that is, everyone).

I have a red light. You know, as in a stop light.

That's where this post reaches its failing point. While red might not be seen as a symbol of hope, I was going to try to tie it together, and, well, in the months since I came up with the idea of this post, it never quite coagulated for me.

If anything, my red light is a symbol of some of the worst in humanity.

Why? 

People honk when near it. 

Literally every day.

If traffic is heavier, the time of day would not matter.

I hear honking -- a sound I truly detest -- on a daily basis.

And, I have to admit, it digs deep into my soul where I want to confront those doing the honking.

I mean, why do it? Because someone didn't move fast enough for you? Because someone is walking across the road? What is the validation for you being a jackwagon?

It's pure impatience.

Of course, that's the answer. We're sadly such an impatient society so of course, the answer to a momentary stop in the day is cause for pushing a button to cause a shrill siren. Sure, that made it better!

So, I suppose if pessimism is your thing then you see a red light as stopping you. It's not a symbol of hopes and dreams then. Whether solid or flashing, a red light is a stop sign. It's an impediment.

I choose to see it as a speed bump. Sure, you have to slow up -- or even stop -- to get beyond it but it's not going to deter you (or me) from the destination.

Is stopping momentarily such a bad thing? I find stopping to be quite positive. Granted, not usually when I'm driving but let's not have that get in the way of this narrative!

The red light -- a stop light, to be sure -- is just there to let life continue to flow. It also allows for choices. Turn left? Turn right? Go straight?

But it's the proverbial "bump in the road." Gatsby probably could have used a red light, if only to "slow his roll" in modern terms.

But he was hellbent on his beloved Daisy.

I get it, Jay. I do.

But my light is red. I'll get past it someday.

Because of hope.