Distributed Mind

I just came back from California. The significance of that fact is that I made the mistake of renting a car while I was there. I claimed this would give me the independence that would be useful while visiting two completely unrelated groups of people on the same trip (not likely they would want to shuttle me around between houses, that is to say). I also claimed this would give me an opportunity to become more familiar with the area; why that would be helpful still has not occurred to me.

The true reason, I suspect, however, was sheer greed for gratification, I suspect. I like driving. Renting a car would give me a chance to drive in an interesting place I had never driven, and would allow me to drive a car I don't usually get to drive, since I am usually stuck driving my classy but dull Buick Century.

Now, once, before I had an automobile, I was aware that cars were evil. After all, they destroy the environment and, worse, they are government-sanctioned daily-use deadly weapons. Oh, and of course their existence is slowing the development of good public transportation in our nation. So, cars are very evil.

They are of course also inordinately useful, so I am not suggesting everyone should throw theirs out, though it is true I tried to avoid acquiring my first car when my parents left it with me. Well, that did not last long. In spite of knowing how evil they were, I became relatively quickly hooked. I eventually came to the conclusion that if automobiles were restricted by the government to tasks where they were actually necessary - say emergency or delivery applications - that I would have to change careers to one where I could drive one of these few automobiles. That sounds a lot like an addiction to me.

Ah, so how this all ties in to California. Well, of course, my addiction led me to be foolish enough to rent a car to drive in an area I had never driven before while in a completely state of disorientation and fatigue, and to pay for the privilege. It was probably slightly dangerous, frankly (if still rather useful - or maybe I am making excuses). This unfortunate decision went even further, however, when the rental car picked up some damage that I absolutely could not explain (I think somebody must have clipped the front bumper and the rear fender, since I don't remember hitting anything; then again, maybe I really am that vacant). Well, so in the end I paid nearly four times for the rental car than I should have, and that original price was more than I expected to begin with.

So this time I have paid for my addiction. The question is, can I break this addiction before it causes me more pain? Oh, sad is the fate of those addicted to automobiles.