VII - The Chariot

Modes of Transportation, Ranked

I love being ~in transit~. I embark on a long walk almost every day - sometimes two or three times a day. My current ideal driving commute is around 35 minutes. If a vacation involves any kind of transportation other than a plane (e.g., a roadtrip), the transport is often my favorite part of the vacation.

Here’s ten silly lists I made, ranking various modes of transportation by increasingly silly metrics, interspersed with some iphone snapshots I’ve taken on recent walks.

can ya find the rainbow?

list of (relevant (to me)) modes of transportation in the order I thought of them until I ran out

1. walking

2. driving (thinking mostly as a driver, not a passenger)

3. train

4. plane

5. running

6. biking

7. bus

8. subway

9. non-man-powered boat (thinking mostly about ferries and speedboats, because I have no experience with cruises)

10. man-powered boat (rowing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, sailboating, etc. all very different experiences that I am lumping together because for the most part that’ll work just fine)

11. roller (or other) skating (or scootering I suppose)

12. swimming

ranked by efficiency, and defined as a means to a destination

1. plane (hard to argue with 500mph)

2. train (some trains are slower than driving, but I’m being optimistic here and trying to further the high speed rail agenda)

3. driving

4. subway

5. bus

6. biking

7. non-man-powered boat (in motion these boats are undeniably faster than biking or bussing, but with boat travel there’s usually a lot of waiting + other kinds of travel necessary, so overall, not that efficient)

8. running

9. walking (slow, but no frills & can happen at a moment’s notice)

10. man-powered boat (could sit above biking depending on which kind of boat I suppose, but again, lots of set up time)

11. roller skating (veryyyyy limited terrain, not a great means to any end)

12. swimming (literally what could be slower and more inconvenient than swimming somewhere hahaha)

ranked by effectiveness in preparing you for a day of work, defined as a “commute”

1. walking

2. train

3. subway

4. bus

5. non-man-powered boat (I’ve prioritized the methods of transportation that are most calming, and provide an opportunity to catch up on work while in transit)

6. driving (I wish I could put this higher, but sometimes traffic sucks and also you usually can’t work and drive at the same time. for an exception, see Drive My Car)

7. biking (should probably go way higher but I’m taking points off for sweat potential)

8. plane (unless you’re rich and this plane is a private jet, no one has ever stepped off a flight feeling refreshed and ready to go straight to the office. it does get some points for providing the opportunity to catch up on work, though)

9. roller skating (too focused on not wiping out to center yourself. also potential for sweat)

10. running (sweaty & you can’t carry much)

11. man-powered boat (unless you’re a fisherman, in which case this is goin to the top)

12. swimming (you show up wet ??)

ranked in terms of enjoyment, defined as an activity in itself

1. anything involving a parachute, probably

2. man-powered-boat (I miss it :))

3. swimming (always makes me feel like a child again)

4. biking (I don’t think much can rival the absolute freedom you feel riding a bike)

5. roller skating

6. non-man-powered boat (jet skis???? come onnnnn)

7. train :)

8. walking (this very middle of the road ranking is due to the fact that although I love walking, it’s a very regular activity. not as special as the above. but maybe I’m just taking my legs for granted here)

9. running (this heavilyyyy depends on how close you are to achieving that coveted runner’s high. could rank anywhere from dead last to #1)

10. driving (like walking, driving is very enjoyable, but also very regular. and occasionally it is not enjoyable)

11. plane (only fun for the person who gets the window seat, and a good view can only do so much to combat claustrophobia & restless legs. one or two more red-eyes and this might move to last place)

12. subway (gross)

13. bus (ew)

ranked by how much you should do it when you’re angry, defined as an activity in itself

1. running (some of my best runs were fueled only by red hot anger and frustration. there’s truly nothing like it)

2. walking (“take a hike!”)

3. man-powered boat (see: “YOU’RE BREAKING THEM” & “END IT GRADY”)

4. swimming (cool the metaphorical fire with some water, duh)

5. roller skating (remind yourself that life just isn’t that serious!)

6. biking

7. non-man-powered boat (go. get away from it all. start fresh on an island somewhere.)

8. train

9. subway

10. bus (surely this would make it worse)

11. plane (when you’re angry it doesn’t feel good to also be helpless & stuck)

12. driving (feels great but dangerous! so maybe don’t)

it was hailing

ranked by how much of a main character it makes you feel like, defined as an activity in itself

1. train (hi sara :) enjoy your mysterious girl train ride down to visit me today)

2. plane (I never walk off a plane without some story to tell)

3. roller skating

4. run (yeah! look at you go! you’re running! you’re so much better than everyone here!)

5. walk

6. non-man-powered boat

7. subway

8. bus

9. bike (helmets are a must but they do kinda kill the vibe)

10. driving

11. man-powered boat (depends, but in the world of rowing, you are nothing more than a machine)

12. swimming (not sure why but it seems like literally noooo one is looking at you when you’re swimming)

ranked by how exhausted you feel after, defined as an activity in itself

1. plane (flying SUCKS)

2. bus (less hassle, but still stressful & cramped)

3. swimming (the sleep following a day of swimming is top tier as far as sleeps go)

4. man-powered boat (similar to swimming, tired in a good way)

5. driving (gets sleepy and stiff after awhile)

6. subway (quick & easy, but emotionally draining)

7. train

8. walking

9. running (this is below walking because walking 3 miles will make me feel tired, whereas running 3 miles will make me feel invigorated, and then tired)

10. biking

11. roller skating

12. non-man-powered boat

ranked by the probable chance of finding love or friendship, defined as an activity in itself

1. man-powered boat (i met many friends this way)

2. plane (when i was probably 8, i had sit apart from my mom and sister on a plane for the first time, and ended up in the last row, between two 30something year old men who had been on the same flight for like 18 hours and were now best buds. they kept passing their phones over my Warriors book to show each other pictures of their lives. i hope they’re still in touch)

3. train (only cool people take trains)

4. roller skating

5. swimming

6. bus (the existence of school buses drastically increases this ranking)

7. non-man-powered boat

8. subway (only exist in big, generally unfriendly cities)

9. biking (unless you seek out a group biking activity)

10. running (unless you seek out a group running activity)

11. walking

12. driving (lol there’s no way. or is there)

ranked by likelihood of destroying an existing relationship, if experienced with someone you already know, defined as an activity in itself

1. plane (this list takes inspiration from my childhood obsession with The Amazing Race)

2. driving

3. subway

4. bus

5. non-man-powered boat

6. train

7. biking

8. man-powered boat

9. running

10. walking

11. swimming

12. roller skating (this can only heal)

ranked by how cathartic it feels to cry during, defined as an activity in itself

(i will preface this list by saying i’m a firm believer in the healing power of a good public cry)

1. driving (top! tier!! let it out, babe)

2. plane (the perfect setting for a public breakdown. it feels appropriately dramatic and unhinged, while also being too loud for anyone to actually hear and be bothered by your violent sobbing)

3. subway (I’m reminded of this episode of How I Met Your Mother)

4. bus

5. train

6. non-man-powered boat

7. walking

8. running (this would be… a lot. I imagine neither the crying nor the running would be that successful)

9. roller skating (feels too silly to cry)

10. biking (I don’t believe it’s possible to feel sad on a bike)

11. man-powered boat (I just can’t imagine crying on a paddle-board?)

12. swimming (you can’t even feel the tears so what’s the point)

I chose The Chariot for this week because of its visual connections to transit, specifically driving. But symbolically, the card has more to do with arrival at a destination than the journey itself.

The Chariot represents victory in life by way of willpower, control over the mind and emotions, and conventional success. It indicates a triumph over adulthood, and all the things we’re supposed to attain and master as we mature. The charioteer steers the two opposing forces (the black and white sphinxes) forward at great speed, aiming for the finish line. They successfully balance these forces despite a natural disharmony between them, through focused, conscious will.

This isn’t to say The Chariot represents a mastery over all aspects of life, but rather the more fundamental, surface level elements you might check off on a list of things that would make your life “a success”.

This sign of victory is also a reminder that control isn’t sustainable, and willpower alone isn’t enough to overcome some problems. Once this delicate, conscious balance is reached, you can continue to develop as a person and seek a truer balance through subconscious healing and reconciliation.

Well this was a fun little brain exercise. If anyone wants to send me their own ridiculous ranking of transportation modes by weird metric, I’d love to read it :)

Happy Saturday,

Take yourself somewhere this weekend,

Jordan