The Ghost in the Machine Lacks Soul

Complex systems are a phenomenon all their own. Some are evolving as you read this, others have been around since the beginning of the universe. They are everywhere -- wind and water cycles, nutrient cycles, the stock market, the postal service --, and many of these systems we either control vehemently or fail to understand altogether. Some are robust while others are fragile. By definition, a complex systems is impossible to understand in its entirety, and for this reason, it is oft a system evolves not in the best interests of its creator -- us.

Driving is an activity of monotony and, on occasion, novelty. It is a complicated system most people subject themselves to, but never (it seems) bother perfecting their skills for. The standard issue driving experience includes one part isolation, one part tediousness, one part vengeful malice, and one generous portion of your life. You work to pay for your car, your gas, your insurance, your maintenance, your toll roads. You pay for the convenience, and you pay for the freedom.

But what are you buying your way into? A fundamentally flawed system. Society is supposed to ease the burden of everyone through cooperation and good governance. By working together and designing a system ergonomically, it is not outside the realm of possibility we create a system fundamentally aimed at easing the stressful nature of a task, like driving.

Unfortunately, the complex system of traffic infrastructure and personal vehicle ownership is one that has evolved over a solid century and did not have a moniker of ergonomic understanding to benefit from. If our idea of personal mobility was suggested to an ergonomist who had never suffered a drive on our roads, said scientist would immediately identify some significant shortcomings:

Isolation. Personal mobility allows an individual to be alone; it allows one to brood away in private at 100 km/h with no chance of intervention from others. In traffic, isolation allows irritation to evolve into anger, and anger into rage. In solitude, there is no external influence to quell rising emotions, and in a system as high-strung as rush hour traffic, the stress that results ruins days and healths alike.

Poor Communication. Traffic disputes are often solved with a short, sharp stomp on the go-pedal and a fly-by gesture. You can't say "sorry, but I'm not familiar with this road" with your signal lights. High-beams cannot apologize for you. Using the tools at your disposal -- which is limited to your turn signals, 4-ways, high beams, brake lights, and horn -- communicating anything more complicated than "go faster" is difficult at best. ( The oncoming traffic high beam flash "Warning -- speed trap ahead" is a good one to recognize, though.) Because of this lack of communication, the immediate assumption after being cut-off or undertaken is, "What an ass! Learn to drive." Whether or not this is the case is irrelevant; the fact that we immediate jump to such conclusions instead of giving the benefit of the doubt indicates there is something terribly wrong with this system. We are expected to pay attention 100% of the time and foresee every single obstacle, and we are expected to follow every rule of the road to the letter. In a system where the intentions of others default to being a dick, or an idiot, a lack of communication between motorists is a breeding ground for hostility.

Us Versus Them. There is no cooperation on the roads. It is easy to ignore the person trying to get into your lane, because, after all, you have the right of way. "Christian motoring" is a tongue-in-cheek expression that describes an individual who, from the goodness of his/her heart, allows another person ahead of them, despite the heavy traffic. Why can't we have the opposite mentality? Why not a term for the bastard that blocks the parking lot driveway on a red light instead of allowing that car to merge with stationary traffic? I'm not advocating being stupid -- like yielding right-of-way to right-turning traffic on your left turn advanced green -- but a bit of generosity will not go amiss. More importantly, it will greatly reduce the impact of the aforementioned shortcomings of the system.

There are ways around these problems, of course -- riding the bus, walking, cycling. These alternatives also offer their own advantages.

Taking public transit affords you uninterrupted time to read and be productive. With today's mobile technology, there is almost no reason for not being able to make the best of down time on public transit. The biggest shortcoming, of course, is the amount of extra time it takes to commute -- but is that necessarily the case? If you consider the productive hours you gain when you'd otherwise be commuting, how much have you lost?

Walking is an alternative entire books have been written on. It is incredibly slow, but being outside is healthy, and if we all did it more often, we would notice our communities grow towards being... well, communities.

In some cases, cycling can be equally as fast as driving, and in other cases, equally as time consuming as taking public transit. The benefit to cycling is, of course, the exercise. It is not a perfect alternative, but it is easier to communicate with others while on a bicycle (ex. hand signals, gestures), and anyone who has ever ridden with a group knows there is a great deal of cooperation and camaraderie. As a car enthusiast, I am supposed to dislike cyclists, but from everything considered in this article, a bike is easily the better way to get around.

I hope a bit of enlightenment as to the nature of the problem gives everyone something to think about.