I realized it after FIRE: It wasn't the "commute" that was breaking me, it was the "people"

Introduction

──The true nature of that hell I only realized after becoming a FIRE practitioner
What did I hate most when I was a company employee?
It wasn't the work. It wasn't the human relationships. It was the commute.All kinds of stress were condensed into that short period of time. Crowded trains, time constraints, the weather. And above all else—
people. Now that I have achieved FIRE and that stress has vanished without a trace, I finally understand. The commute was not "travel," but rather
a ritual of being forced to participate in a space with high human density.

Mornings chased by the sound of high heels

When I was a company employee, walking toward the station in the morning, the sound of high heels—clack, clack, clack—would approach from behind.
Once you're targeted, there's no escape until the station. That's because everyone is heading to the same destination.
I would be forced to listen to that sound endlessly. Of course, the person has no malicious intent. It's just that the perspective of "how it sounds to those around me"is completely missing.
The same goes for bags with casters. That inescapable, unpleasant rattling sound.
While walking, I suddenly wonder:
Why are people so insensitive to the "sounds" they emit?

People become insensitive to "their own sounds"

Psychologically, people become insensitive to the stimuli they produce themselves.
・Their own footsteps
・Their own noises
・Their own presence
Because the brain lowers the priority as "self-generated stimuli."Conversely, the sounds of others are strongly perceived as noise.
Conversely, the sounds of others are strongly perceived as noise.

In other words— even if the person intends to be quiet, it becomes noise to those around them.
This is not malice, but a structural discrepancy. That is precisely why it is unavoidable.

Mornings that somehow turn into race walking

──People "hate being overtaken"
I am impatient, so I always walk to the station at full speed.
As a result, when I encounter someone at the same speed, it naturally turns into a race-walking situation.
I don't intend to be competing. But the other person increases their pace.
The reason is simple.

Because people instinctively "hate being overtaken."
It is close to what is called "loss aversion" in behavioral economics. It is the feeling that losing the position you were in front = a loss. It is essentially the same feeling as when I hated being
"overtaken" by colleagues or juniors in terms of evaluations or promotions when I was a company employee.
Humans are creatures that react excessively to rankings and positions.

Why do people block the path?

When I try to overtake, for some reason, there are people who step into my path.
They don't have eyes in the back of their heads, so why?
This is a "habit of path prediction."While walking, people unconsciously decide their path by predicting the movements of those around them. However, the accuracy is quite sloppy.
・Moving in a direction that seems somewhat open
・Reacting to movements that enter their field of vision
・Trying to return to the center

As a result, when each other's predictions are off, "path overlap" occurs.
In other words, this is closer to a limit of cognition than a matter of manners.

The reason why you almost collide with people coming from the front

People coming from the front also somehow take a path that crosses yours.
This is the same structure.
At the moment of passing,
・Which way the other person will dodge
・Which way I will dodge
I judge instantly, but this judgment is unstable.

If both parties dodge in the same direction, the paths overlap. This is the so-called "Right? Left?" problem. There are cultural differences (Japan tends to keep to the left), but ultimately, a momentary judgment error is the cause.

The real reason I hated commuting

In the end, the reason I hated commuting is simple.
Because "micro-collisions" with people continue endlessly.
・Stress of sound
・Competition of speed
・Interference of paths
・Unconscious maneuvering

These happen dozens of times in a short period. Moreover, everything is uncontrollable.
Of course, it wears you out.

Stress that disappeared after FIRE

Since leaving the company, this stress has completely disappeared.
There are no crowded trains. No race-walking. No being chased by noise.
Is it really this easy just by not bumping into people?

Commuting was not just about moving from one place to another. The very act of 'placing oneself in an environment with high human density' was the stress itself.

Conclusion: The true nature of commuting stress

The true nature of commuting stress is neither distance nor time. It is people. And much of it stems not from malice, but from a structural gap between instinct and cognition. That is precisely why it is troublesome and unavoidable.
If you feel that commuting is tough right now, it is not just your imagination.
You are simply being exposed to
the structural problems of human beings every single day.

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I write articles about the sense of discomfort in daily life after FIRE. ↓↓↓

I share information about my daily events on my Ameba blog ↓↓↓