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Ella Ben Zvi

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Don't wait for the government to change - do it yourself!

Two months ago I visited Florida, and on the way from the airport to Boca Raton, I asked my husband: "How come everyone is stuck in traffic while we are moving so fast?" And he explained to me that here the HOV is for two people. So I asked him "and this is why USA is in war for oil?"

From Florida we caught a flight to Cancun. And in this trip we learned a horrifying history lesson, about the slaves who brought to the Caribbean from Africa. They were bought in order to work in the sugar cane and coffee plantations. The sugar and the coffee were shipped to Europe, and sold to coffee shops and bakeries.
The slaves lived degrading life with unbearable physical work, so the Europeans can enjoy coffee with a piece of cake.

In retrospect, we look at this story with disgusted eyes. We can not believe this immoral suffering caused by such foolishness.

That will be the eyes that will look at us in the future. Our behavior is not less terrible, Its results are devastating: economically, socially, mentally, ecologically and morally!

We should aim for the government to promote and improve public transportation. But we don't need to wait, we have the power to start the change, it is so easy - Share rides, use the train, ride a bike.
If we want to save money, if we want to breathe fresh air, if we want to rescue our soldiers, if we want peace, all we need to do is stop stand in traffic jams!

Related Talks:
Topics: action moral law oil peace
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    Anne Dagen 10+

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    Apr 27 2012: That's fine when the train is an economic form of transport. In the UK I use the train into London, but mile for mile it is dearer than using a car, and the service is crowded, unreliable and dirty, and it is only because London is so congested that I use it. Going elsewhere, it has to be by car because public transport in the UK just does not work.

    I wouldn't consider a smart car purely on safety grounds, as in many areas of the UK, the roads are so congested with heavy goods vehicles that driving a small car is dangerous. That's not an issue that can be resolved by the individual.

    By the way, your reference to the Triangular Trade is interesting. Have you looked into the supply side as well as the demand side? Certainly the demand side came from Europe and America, but the supply often came about because of local African conflict, with prisoners from local wars being sold to European and American traders. Of course that doesn't justify slavery, but it does place the issue in the politics and attitudes of the time. And European feudal systems had a lot in common with slavery.
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    Ken brown 30+

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    Mar 28 2012: I'm one of those men that drive a bubblegum car,well not a smart car as i saw one of those get sucked under a truck,instead i chose a nissan march.Not the greatest but then i never viewed a car as anything other than transport.I had no idea how people view their cars as a part of their status.Beamers,Audi's,Mercs until i started to notice i was being beeped to move over,cut off alot more than i did when i had my V8,Tailgated as my car is considered to be a grandma's car.

    A freind of mine has a friend that just bought the 2012 V8 twin turbo 500 hp tweaked to 870 hp 4 dr sedan beamer.We were admiring the car outside his apartment as it is a beautiful car,what i noticed was that every person that walked by either took a picture and spoke in reverence to my friends friend or stared at him as if he was god,i was just about to ask how much it cost to fill it but refrained from asking as my freind told me on the sly that "He can afford it" The man is well off but i couldn't help but look around at the rest of us that is trying to change when there is car makers out there that still build these vehicles to tempt the middle class into mortgaging their houses just for the latest car.
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    brian herring

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    Mar 28 2012: Agree 100%! I have come to know anything and everything starts and ends with me, relativity speaking.
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    Verble Gherulous 20+

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    Mar 27 2012: I wholly agree. I have a great example, having lived the last ten years in Houston Texas. I am a great, vocal, strident, unheard voice for taking public transport. I used it every day, which allowed me to read more books in a few years than i had my entire life! Still, this is a city where people drive Hummers to the corner store. They drive their extended cab doolies to church! Seriously? Art thou chopping down redwoods to transport to Sunday school? I think not.

    Until we in America separate our macho attitudes from our huge gas guzzling cars, until we finally as men, feel verile driving a tiny bubble smart car, or sitting with a book on the train, then nothing will change. At least in Texas!
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