I was in my usual commute to office in the taxi and as usual stuck and buried amongst rows of cars. I looked outside and saw a sight which reminded me of my childhood. When me and my brother used to fight for sweets,Dad used to pacify us by distributing each. This gave us a sense of equality and comfort. 'Ok so you got one,I got one.Happy!'
So I look out and see one person in one car. Big fat car. Like one executive in the London Gherkin. A toddler in an amusement park all alone. A heiress in her castle alone.
All to himself. All to herself.
So were they happy like my brother and I was with the property partition? I guess. But there was a sense of sharing, the evil fun of fighting and the realising the boring aftermath of adult intervention of 'Here,this is yours'. We didnt want to be 'yours' or 'mine'. We wanted togetherness.
In our busy modern lives, increasingly boundaries are marked. One of them is 'my own car'. Setting aside the issue of environmental impact, its also important to realise how cost effective a carpool is. Its a great way to build rapport with your colleagues,neighbours or closeby friends depending on the commute. The sheer art of talking is lost today. We prefer talking in social media or talking to our food,which is not just weird but stupid!
Privacy is important but its high time we ask if the terms 'privacy' and 'closed up in a shell' have any difference now.
I found a great image aptly explaining how I felt about too much cars and the sheer absudrity of it.
So I look out and see one person in one car. Big fat car. Like one executive in the London Gherkin. A toddler in an amusement park all alone. A heiress in her castle alone.
All to himself. All to herself.
So were they happy like my brother and I was with the property partition? I guess. But there was a sense of sharing, the evil fun of fighting and the realising the boring aftermath of adult intervention of 'Here,this is yours'. We didnt want to be 'yours' or 'mine'. We wanted togetherness.
In our busy modern lives, increasingly boundaries are marked. One of them is 'my own car'. Setting aside the issue of environmental impact, its also important to realise how cost effective a carpool is. Its a great way to build rapport with your colleagues,neighbours or closeby friends depending on the commute. The sheer art of talking is lost today. We prefer talking in social media or talking to our food,which is not just weird but stupid!
Privacy is important but its high time we ask if the terms 'privacy' and 'closed up in a shell' have any difference now.
I found a great image aptly explaining how I felt about too much cars and the sheer absudrity of it.
Image from citylab
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