Monday, May 5, 2008

#5: Gave up Getting Driver’s License

When I was 16, I kept hearing stories about some of my friends who got their license the day they turned 16, though I wasn’t terribly into it, so I registered in driver’s ed around that time. Here in Ontario, we have a multilayered licensing system – I’m not sure what it’s like where you live, but the standard is to have 3 levels, taking a minimum of two years before you can drive on your own.

It has always bothered me that this is the height of hypocrisy, and that the people who developed the “Graduated Licensing” system in Ontario did not themselves ever have to go through it, but I digress.

You start by taking a written test, and getting your learner’s permit, a G1, which allows you to drive a car only if you have a 4-year experienced driver in the passenger side, which is a bit of a pain in the ass, because it essentially meant I had to be free at the same time as my parents, (which didn’t happen often), or I had to drive with an instructor. So of course, I didn’t get the practice I needed in order to pass my second test, (the G2), so I flunked it. Rather than taking the time to practice again, I just gave up. I didn’t care anymore, and I decided the province had made it too much work, and that driving was terrifying anyway.

Thus for years, I’ve been depending on the kindness of others to get drives places, or I’ve been taking the bus, which is fine I guess, when it comes on time.

Many of my family members are cross with me that I gave up on it, and let my G1 expire, so now I have to get started all over again.

Anyway, throughout my life I’ve noticed a bit of a pattern, and my little cousin, who I’m babysitting later today, exhibits the same pattern. When something is too hard, we just give up. I’ve treated a lot of aspects of my life this way, including finding work. I’m letting failure and rejection get in the way of my success. Not having a license is often a major deterrent in getting hired anyway.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm in the same boat! Well, bus. I never got my license cause of all the garbage. And the city was small enough that I could literally walk anywhere (From college to home!). Plus all the insurance and gas and taxes and fees for the car. Better off hoofing it.
Actually these high gas prices are great for everything. There is not one downside that I can see. People drive less, walk more, buy less gas, depend less on oil. I think if the car was any other thing then it would have been outlawed simply from the number of people that it kills.
Isn't there an age cut-off for the G1? I thought that if you were over 25 you didn't have to do the graduated garbage? Meh. My time carless has made me appreciate being carless more.

Anonymous said...

Maybe a good way of dekarmalizing this one would be to teach your cousin a strategy in dealing with failure? That way he won't just give up when it gets too tough.
Even though honestly, I think if this is number 5 on your list then you don't have a lot to worry about in the whole getting sodomized by Satan in Hell department. Atheist!

Anonymous said...

I'm with Sour Wine on this one: if this is #5 on your big list of awful things you've done, you really have nothing to worry about. Maybe you need a different subject for your list, 'cause let's face it: you're a pretty great dude.

Anyway, I don't have my driver's license, and it suits me just fine. I don't mind taking public transportation, and it saves on gas and insurance and all that. My girlfriend has her license but doesn't use it because owning a car is expensive and we don't really need one in the city anyway. So what's the big deal?

Malice Blackheart said...

Aw, shucks, guys. You're making me blush!

I'm listing these in the order they come to me, and not necessarily in order of how bad they are. They do get much worse. You'll see.

I do agree with both of you that this isn't particularly bad, and I'm pretty content without a car, but I'm going to need to make some life changes soon, and having that license will help. Maybe it's something I feel I owe myself more than anyone else.

Anonymous said...

My policy is that a person of a certain age should have a driver's license, even if he or she doesn't use it. I don't have a car, so I don't use my license very often. But if I wanted or needed to rent or borrow a car for some reason, I could. It gives you options. It gives you a kind of independence that you can't get any other way.
Of course, I'm kind of chicken when it comes to driving in the city, but that's beside the point!
-ravens