by Joe Buffaloe
Daily Lobo
When life hands you lemons, sometimes you find out you really like lemons.
Case in point: My car has been out of commission the past couple of weeks. But the silver lining to this very expensive, annoying cloud is that I've rediscovered my bicycle.
Nearly all of us remember bicycling as kids. I logged countless hours careening down sidewalks, jumping curbs and skinning my knees. All things considered, my bike was pretty awesome.
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And it turns out it's just as fun today. There's nothing like leaning into a turn at top speed, switching into high gear then passing 50 cars idling in traffic. As hard as it is to believe, it turns out it's still possible to have electricity-free fun.
Remember, cars are evil. They were invented by a mad scientist who had a fetish for running over armadillos at insane speeds in a loud, metal death box. And now that global warming is revving up, it may turn out that cars lead to our global civilization's ultimate demise.
By the way, global warming is no longer debatable. Even oil-giant Chevron-Texaco pledged in 2004 to commit to new policies to reduce global warming - not that they actually will, but the point is they admit they're destroying the planet. Many scientists are now saying that if humanity doesn't stop or reverse its contribution of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere within 10 years, we will not be able to keep the polar icecaps from melting.
I'd say bikes have the edge over cars when it comes to pollution.
I've heard some crazy theories about wars being fought for oil, too. I don't remember the last time there was a war for bicycle parts, except for World War I, but that happened about 100 years ago.
Besides pollution, cars are detrimental to our society and our humanity. It comes down to the problem of convenience. Our society is all about getting whatever we want whenever we want it and not thinking about what it actually takes to do this. Our clothes and shoes are made in sweatshops so we can buy them for ludicrously cheap prices. For every banana you buy, about three countries in Central America have been overthrown by military coups backed by fruit companies, and for every gallon of gasoline you burn, five pounds of carbon are released into the atmosphere.
That sounds like a lot, doesn't it? When you ride a bike, you can feel this energy, believe me. And it actually feels nice to get the exercise. You've worked to get from one place to another, and you get to see the fruits of your labor. You get to be outside and feel the air in the real world, and by taking it slow, you can take the time to observe the world around you. Cars, on the other hand, shut you off from everything but yourself and your over-used stereo, things you probably spend too much time thinking about in the first place.
I'm not saying we should all stop driving cars, I guess. It's impossible to get around without one most of the time, and this city's laughable public transport system doesn't help matters.
I'll drive my car again once it's fixed. But I plan on using it only when it's impossible to go on bicycle, because when it comes down to it, two wheels are just more fun than four.
