Automobiles

The truth is, automobiles are a metaphor for 21st Century America. They are big, fast moving, dominant and annoying. Oh, and the gas required to run them is expensive, at least when compared to historical averages. We worry that the fumes from cars will kill us, either through global warming or forgetting to turn off the engine at the gas station.

Very well, but what about in cities? Rush hour is the eighth circle of hell, it is true. And finding parking is almost impossible. I searched for a good fifteen minutes today, only to park five blocks over, pay two dollars and leave my car next to a demolition site. And that is in a smaller city like Buffalo. Try to park in Philly sometime...

It often seems we should just ban automobiles, or force people to carpool, or enlarge the public transit system. But top down bans rarely, if ever, succeed at their intended object and often have unintended consequences. What, then, is to be done with the automobile?

The first thing that must be recognized is that the automobile is not a perfected product. It is a work in progress, and bright minds can still try to improve it. We can build better fuel injection systems to increase gas mileage. We can tinker with the chemical formulas for gasoline, or find a cheap substitute altogether. We can invent a whole new power system altogether.

The point is that this will not happen in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere, in some city, whether on this continent or not I do not know, someone will come up with a solution to carbon emission. Someone else will come up with a solution for traffic congestion. Intelligence and ingenuity will prevail. So stop being so downhearted by the problems of the city. Figure out a solution.