By the time you’re 18, you
probably already own – or at least use your parent’s – car. The feeling of
driving by yourself, with the windows down while you listen to The National’s
About Today on your way to work, school, or anything else, makes this moment,
well – independent.
But, what is independent? Is
it the feeling that you’ll feel road rage as traffic makes a 10-minute commute
home turn into a 40-minute one? Or that you’ll have to stop-and-go all the way
home? No.
Being independent means making
decisions that are best for you. Deciding to take care of yourself by taking
public transport, and avoiding all the negativity of driving is a great first
step. I’m sure you’ve been wanting to finish that book you’ve put off for a
while, and now is your chance. Or maybe you want to finally get into This
American Story from NPR – check it out if you haven’t done so.
My point is this. Our planet
can’t take it anymore. Imagine someone stuck in a closet, with a generator on.
They would be suffocating, and our planet is too. And what does “our planet
mean” exactly? Well, it certainly doesn’t mean this imaginary thing we forget
about. Our planet is everything. You, me, him, her, your cat, your dog, your
tomato plant in your backyard. You get the idea.
So why is your personal car so
important to this discussion? If you haven’t figured it out by now, please play
attention. There are too many cars out there producing too much pollution –
whether it is noise, air, or car accidents. The fact of the matter is, that we
have to use what’s already around us. We can’t wait for the next “big thing” to
appear and save us all.
The Guardian recently said
that “self-driving cars” won’t save us, and why? Because they’re still cars at the
end of the day. So my message to you is this.
Look up your public transport
system in your city. Use your bike. Walk. Share your vehicle. You’ll be
surprised with what you didn’t know is around you, and how much closer you’ll
feel to your home. And if the public transport system isn’t great. Well, then
make it. Ok, maybe you can’t ditch your own car, but at make the effort to use
it less, much less. YOU have the power to change our system. YOU have the power
to make it better. YOU have the power to decide.
No comments:
Post a Comment