Friction

I was struggling with something on a recent walk back from the pet store. Despite living in Amsterdam for nearly 2 years, I do not have a regular bike. I have a road bike that I store off the street, but to use it requires me to carry it down several flights of stairs.

I walked past at least two bike shops on my way to the pet store, and every time, for months, I think “I should just walk into that store and buy a bike finally”. Of course my brain loves nothing more than to argue with itself, and so I think “well I work from home mostly, and all of our errands are within a 10 minute walk of our place so it’s really not that big of a deal”. I enjoy walking in the city, and I don’t necessarily care about the few minutes it would shave off of my errands every month.

I find myself weighing the pros and cons instantly, trying to judge the frequency of which I would actually use a bike, what tools I might need to fix and maintain it, or whether or not I should get insurance on the bike. A mental exercise that I have performed in my head countless times. Eventually I get tired of thinking about it and drop it all together, only to be reminded of it the next time I walk past a bike shop.

Usually, I’m quite pragmatic and decisive, I don’t necessarily like having unknowns in my life so I think this is just a way that my brain likes to make friction where there’s none. In a way, I think it’s just my mind’s version of day dreaming, arguing with myself is something I like to do when I’m bored, like solving a crossword puzzle or sudoku. It’s probably why I enjoy being an engineer, dealing with friction is a core aspect of the profession.

Setting aside my trivial bike purchasing dilemma, friction in our daily lives is often written off as something to be solved. Products to solve a solution, eliminating friction for the consumer and stream lining one’s life. Friction is pitched as a problem looking for a solution.

Friction, while often detrimental, can provide us with something more valuable in the long run, a direction. I think about the own friction in my life, both good and bad. It all provides me with some important feedback that I can use to recalibrate and refine my own cognition. Friction allows us to outline the shape of the problems we face. The pain points of a specific tool or software lends itself to potential solutions. Ideological friction can shut down conversations, or it can allow compromise. Assuming some friction will always be present prepares one for a more realistic outcome, nearly everything requires some energy to overcome.

Used intentionally, friction can be a positive force. Putting your phone on airplane mode to focus and get some work done by introducing additional friction. Designing a specific ball bearing in an assembly to wear out first, because it’s safer and easier to replace than other bearings. Allowing some form of friction that eats energy in a sacrificial manner to save other components from wearing out. Friction helps us get keep our bearings.