Why are drivers and people so impatient? We are an impatient society of impatient drivers. It’s crazy how we’ve evolved into a hurry up world. If you think about the hardships in pioneer days, compared to now, our impatience is really quite ridiculous. People didn’t usually live to a ripe old age, so you had to squeeze in as much living as you could. So, choosing to migrate from say, Florida to California probably shaved off about 7 years of your short life. But even back then, people would do just about anything to get out of Florida. That hasn’t changed. The dangers ahead made the chances of making that 7 year trip, possibly your last. We complain about road conditions and traffic when settlers made their migration in covered wagons with wooden wheels and smelly horses. You were probably lucky if you didn’t get sun burned TO DEATH. They probably used saddle soap on their skin instead of moisturizer. I can’t imagine wearing layers of Victorian clothing and heavy lace-up corsets. And, I’m assuming that a majority of the pioneer women didn’t survive the trip, because their husbands murdered them to stop them from nagging and complaining. That’s probably where the original “Are we there yet??” came from.
If you were to predict that 200 years later, there would be covered wagons that required no horses (or, actually just a different kind of horsepower), and these wagons could drive themselves via satellites from space, they would have burned you at the stake. I remember watching The Jetsons cartoon tv show back in 1962. The predictions of the futuristic series was set in 2062. So, we still have some time before we are all driving around in flying cars. I just want the house on the pole in the sky, and no yard. What about my parents’ generation? Most don’t embrace modern technology. Computers? Withchcraft! An 80 year old lady and I were discussing how some of these Jetsons predictions have come true. She said “Yes! Pretty soon, you’re going to be able to just push a button and your dinner’s going to be ready.” Yea, Lady, they call that a microwave oven. It came out back in the 80’s.
So, 200 years ago, people died from exposure, gun battles, lack of water (probably why they call it a “Cotton Mouth” snake) and horrible butter churning accidents. Now, more people are dying of heart disease from the stress of driving in heavy traffic, from unhealthy fast food drive through restaurants which is easily available because we don’t even have to get out the car and walk in, and car crashes from speeding to get to the airport on time to get from Florida to California in 4 hours!
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Impatient Drivers – Comedy Defensive Driving