Voices

Why do we all chase money?

By Kerry Xie (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-27 08:00

Why does everyone want to get rich? Ask the rich if they are happy when they buy things. They aren't, not for long. Ask them what they want, and they will answer, "Freedom." Now, I don't have money; I don't even have a car. But I do have freedom, for I ride a scooter.

When I was 15, I thought a car would give me freedom. When I was 30, I sat in US traffic, a rat in a rolling cage, worrying about car insurance payments and gas prices and getting through the morning traffic jam to work on time. That's yet another reason I love Beijing: you really don't need a car, unless showing people you can afford a car is essential to your self-worth. And if you ride a scooter, you'll never go back to four wheels.

I see the poor pedestrians running out of the way of cars, people on buses and on bicycles staring at car-drivers with masked envy. But they're staring at the idea of not having a car, while someone else does. If they'd really look at the drivers, gazing in boredom, picking their noses, stressing out from being stuck at yet another red light, they'd realize the truth. The car is a prison as much as a carriage.

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Well, I don't like to lose a lot of time in transit, and on the scooter, I don't. Those kilometer long traffic jams you see every morning and evening, the ones that fill other motorists with dread, are but a fun little skills test for me and my scooter. Zip! I'm right around that huge bus, the one stuck halfway out in the road blocking everyone else. Uh oh, what a long line of cars waiting at the red light. Excuse me guys, while I squeeze right between you up to the front. Is that light still red? Guess I'll just cross with the pedestrians; I'm only a little scooter after all!

Hey, car drivers, don't you hate it when you see that green light is going to change to red before you can make it through? Not me! I just scoot over to the green arrow left-turn lane. But I'm not making a left turn, no sir. I glide through the intersection to the crosswalk on the other side, and as soon as that arrow turns red, I'm safe to cut left and continue on my way. And how about those rush hours when the whole street is one gridlocked parking lot? Why, I'm in the bike lane, or on the sidewalk if need be. Maybe I'll just scoot on up the pedestrian bridge, cross over, and try another road altogether. Jealous yet?

The bicycle, even the electric one, just doesn't compare. When that bus decides to swoop into your bike lane for the upcoming stop, you have no choice but to suck its exhaust. That guy in the A8 on his cell phone can make his sudden right turn, and you have no choice but to slam on the brakes. But with a 150cc engine under your butt, you're as agile as a dragonfly. As soon as that car starts lumbering into your lane, you goose the accelerator, and it's in your side-view mirror, getting smaller.

Small, zippy, and versatile - that's the way to make it around this big old city. Last weekend, the party moved from the restaurant to a KTV. One friend offered me a ride in his car, which I declined; it's hard for me to even get inside cars nowadays, unless it's cold outside. He eyed my scooter doubtfully, an expression I returned after he arrived at the KTV 20 minutes later than I did. "Get caught in tra-haaa-fihhhc?" I sang into the microphone, well into the second song. He won't be trading in his SUV anytime soon, though. He has a very serious image of himself to project.

Beijing is a far smaller, more accessible place once you have your scooter. Jianwai Soho to Sanlitun? Ten minutes, rush hour or no. Ritan Park to the Bird's Nest? Half an hour, tops, and you can take scenic Hepingli. Heck, I live on the East 4th ring, and can make it to my folks' place on the West 4th in 40 minutes, and never get on a boring highway.

Car-drivers think I'm in danger. They don't understand that freedom means responsibility. In their cars, they think they're safe, and stop paying attention. That's when accidents happen. On the scooter I'm aware of everything going on, all the time. It's marvelously meditative. Those nagging little voices in your head, the ones that make peace of mind impossible, must all shut up for the Zen state necessary to good scooter riding. And that's the greatest freedom of all.

(China Daily 05/27/2010)