Why Does a Human Cross a Road?

We’ve all heard those chicken-crossing-the-road jokes, haven’t we? But here’s something to ponder: why does a human cross a road? Of course, it’s to get to the other side… but what draws a human being from one place to another? What compels that step out of safety and off the curb?

We might think of some very practical, mundane reasons: that’s where the mailbox is, a neighbor called for help, conveniently there’s a convenience store there, the wind carried the trashcan across the street and we’d do well to retrieve it. But there are many deeper reasons we humans cross roads. Perhaps we want to greet a new neighbor or perhaps we’ve committed to feeding the neighbor’s cat or perhaps a neighbor has just returned home from a stay in the hospital and could benefit from a tub of homemade soup. Clearly, crossing a road signals some movement on our part and most often in the direction of another human being. What a blessed thing it is to cross a road to join others of our kind in this delicate enterprise of life!

And then there are crossroads. Multiple options facing us. Hard choices laid out before us. No clearcut guarantees in any direction. We’ve all likely experienced the weight of knowing that we need to take a step forward in some direction but find ourselves hesitating to leave the safety of the curb. As Vince Gill croons in a song cowritten with Bill Anderson, “I'm standing at the crossroads with just one concern, which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn… Oh, I need to reach a decision and get on with the rest of my life.”

Many of us human beings cross paths and boundaries and borders and roads because of our connections one with another. We may even, as the well-worn expression suggests, go beyond our “comfort zone” on behalf of others of our kind. Do we cross a road to stand in solidarity with neighbors who are struggling? Will we cross a road to join hands with those who believe differently from us to demonstrate the power of unity? Would we cross a road in hopes of salvaging a historic landmark in our community? Could we cross a road to blow the whistle on injustice despite the risk?

In some senses, most every road is embedded with a crossroad. A decision to be made. A choice to select. Movement to undertake. A step in some direction away from the safety of the curb. Yes, we cross roads to get to the other side and to go from one place to another. For whom have we ventured out lately?

Created by Rev. Rebecca Taylor without the assistance of AI