"If you're anything like me, you probably spend the majority of your time either second-guessing the past or dreading the future, neither of which actually exists; having to navigate those teeming streets narrows the beam of my consciousness to the laser's width of the instant I actually inhabit."
— Kreider, Tim (b. 1967)
Author
Work Title
Date
May 7, 2012
Metaphor
"If you're anything like me, you probably spend the majority of your time either second-guessing the past or dreading the future, neither of which actually exists; having to navigate those teeming streets narrows the beam of my consciousness to the laser's width of the instant I actually inhabit."
Metaphor in Context
Before I moved here, I imagined that I would be far too terrified ever to ride my bike in New York City. I am not what's called a thrill-seeking personality: I am too scared to go on carnival rides and can only imagine that if I were ever to go ziplining, bungee jumping or skydiving I would turn instantly to stone with terror, a short-lived meteor. The actual danger of biking is incidental; it's only an external condition that forcibly focuses my concentration, the same way that the violence of war can serve as an occasion for valor. If you're anything like me, you probably spend the majority of your time either second-guessing the past or dreading the future, neither of which actually exists; having to navigate those teeming streets narrows the beam of my consciousness to the laser's width of the instant I actually inhabit.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Tim Kreider, "Cycle of Fear," New York Times (May 7, 2012). <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
05/08/2012
