I started this entry a few days ago. Actually, I thought I had finished it a few days ago and then the Google blogger software ate it again. I wish I knew how to "select text" all the way to the top of the page without going too far and losing the entire entry.
At the time I was feeling a smug sense of self-satisfaction every time I walked past the ARCO station with the ever increasing price of a gallon of gas posted prominently in front. Most recently the sign read 3.389 for the cheapest grade of unleaded gas.
Schadenfreude is a German word that translates roughly as taking joy in someone else's misfortune. I am not sure that Schadenfreude is what I was feeling as I watched the price of gas climb in the weeks since I committed to going carfree. I did feel happy as the price climbed but I wasn't necessarily happy about the plight of others. I was glad to be saving that additional dollar per gallon over recent price levels. And I was glad that others would be forced to confront their consumption habits.
I wonder how many people would drive how far if the cheapest cars cost over $100,000 each and gasoline was $25.00 per gallon. And if those prices would finally force someone to find an alternative to the personal, private, gasoline powered vehicle, could the specter of an planet unfit for human habitation provide even more motivation? I guess we have been trained very well if our greed for money is stronger than our survival instinct.
Then today, a walk to work day that is a minor holiday with light traffic, was so beautiful and perfect for walking that I began to feel sorry for my car addicted friends. They were never going to experiences the millions of nuances of blue in this morning's Santa Monica sky. They would be too busy rushing from one spot to the next to enjoy the cool breeze and the air that was a perfect temperature for a walk. Maybe a little chilly if you were just standing around, and maybe a little too warm for a jog, but just perfect for a morning walk down to the office.
It is becoming more and more apparent to me that the human body was designed to move around by walking and that our modern conveniences actually deprive us of a great deal of pleasure by convincing us that we don't have time to walk. If there is no time to do with our bodies that which they were created to do, what is there time for?
At the time I was feeling a smug sense of self-satisfaction every time I walked past the ARCO station with the ever increasing price of a gallon of gas posted prominently in front. Most recently the sign read 3.389 for the cheapest grade of unleaded gas.
Schadenfreude is a German word that translates roughly as taking joy in someone else's misfortune. I am not sure that Schadenfreude is what I was feeling as I watched the price of gas climb in the weeks since I committed to going carfree. I did feel happy as the price climbed but I wasn't necessarily happy about the plight of others. I was glad to be saving that additional dollar per gallon over recent price levels. And I was glad that others would be forced to confront their consumption habits.
I wonder how many people would drive how far if the cheapest cars cost over $100,000 each and gasoline was $25.00 per gallon. And if those prices would finally force someone to find an alternative to the personal, private, gasoline powered vehicle, could the specter of an planet unfit for human habitation provide even more motivation? I guess we have been trained very well if our greed for money is stronger than our survival instinct.
Then today, a walk to work day that is a minor holiday with light traffic, was so beautiful and perfect for walking that I began to feel sorry for my car addicted friends. They were never going to experiences the millions of nuances of blue in this morning's Santa Monica sky. They would be too busy rushing from one spot to the next to enjoy the cool breeze and the air that was a perfect temperature for a walk. Maybe a little chilly if you were just standing around, and maybe a little too warm for a jog, but just perfect for a morning walk down to the office.
It is becoming more and more apparent to me that the human body was designed to move around by walking and that our modern conveniences actually deprive us of a great deal of pleasure by convincing us that we don't have time to walk. If there is no time to do with our bodies that which they were created to do, what is there time for?
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