I love my car. I inherited my grandmother's 2004 ES330 Sportsdesign Lexus after my family decided she was no longer a safe driver. Although it had some interior stains and required some check-up maintenance, I soon felt the same exhilarating feeling all car owners have- the excitement of having your own car, your own vehicle. It represents freedom, trust, responsibility, and, more importantly, freedom (so important, it must be stated twice). No longer must I wait for a ride to school, a ride to my girlfriend's house, a ride to the movies, a ride to a friend's house, and so on. I could go wherever I wanted, and I could do it in style. I love my car's smooth acceleration, the roar of the engine, the classic 6-disc CD changer, and the feeling I get when I get up, shower, and go driving without any particular destination in mind. I love my car. I get angry when other people drive my car (especially without permission). I take pride in my car. I hope I will always have my car. But, at the same time, I have a problem with automobiles in general.
There is nothing out there to challenge the automobile. And, with all the current and future innovations, nothing may ever even hope to challenge the car. This powerful industry has no competitor; yes, there are rival companies within the industry, but all sell the same products- cars. This doesn't mean the car industry is by any means unsuccessful. It is one of the most successful and dominating industries on Earth. But where is he fail safe? In the future, when innovation slows and the automobile just can't be improved on, what will we do? What will humans use for public transportation when resources for these future cars run out? When a system failure results in cars becoming nonfunctioning? We have no way out as it stands currently. In a way, I am approaching this industry like the world should have approached global warming. It didn't seem important a hundred years ago, but now its a global issue. I don't think the car industry will have an issue in one hundred years, but how about 200? Or 300? Even if there is no problem 1000 years, shouldn't we get started on a fail safe now? If we had countered global warming hundred of years ago, we could have an almost pollution-free environment now. Or, if no solution existed, we could have moon colonies set-up as a last resort. The car industry needs competition so the human race can go beyond the illusion of security and have a real long-term plan.
I love my car. You love your car. we have our cars thanks to the automobile industry- therefore, we have the automobile industries to thank for our freedom (in a sense). Nevertheless, the auto industry needs a rival. It needs an opponent to drive it further, to make it think outside the box. It needs to create different forms of travel beyond that of a four-wheeled car (or however-many-wheeled bus) or at least have a rival doing that job for it. There needs to be variety beyond different brand names so that the human race gains a tangible security.
-This post inspired by my girlfriend, Melissa Augustino (Happy 18th Birthday, Love!)
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I Love my computer and Hate my car. My position on cars (of today) is that there shouldn't be any. There is something unnerving about giving a human being the ability to go 70mph in a two ton container. Humans make mistakes, some make them a lot, and when they happen with so much force terrible things can happen.
ReplyDeleteIf I could avoid driving for the rest of my life I would without hesitation. However, as you pointed out this is a tough choice to make. The automobile industry is what is out there and the design/concept of what cars should be hasn't really changed much through out the years.
There has been some pretty significant innovations in the car world lately. Cars, that will slow automatically if they sense a collision, cars that park themselves, cars with camera's behind them. These technologies are just the brink of whats is potentially out there. Hopefully one day I can just climb in my car, tell my computer where to go, and grab a nap until I arrive.