Automobilia
For whatever reason, an act that I have thoughtlessly performed tens of thousands of times in my life struck me in a new, startling way earlier today. That act is the simple one of putting on a seatbelt before firing the ignition of the car. Until now, that click meant I agreed with all the safety advocates who have for years argued that my chances of surviving a crash were much better if I was belted in. For whatever reason, though, this time what struck me with that click was that I had, albeit in a symbolic way, become one with the vehicle. Literally, I was tied to it. Over the years of driving, I have had fleeting thoughts about the deeper meaning of automobilia. There really is a lot to think about. Stopped at a red light, I have had intimations of my mortality. I have wondered about the personality that we graft onto vehicles due to the look of the grilles. Traffic circles or traffic lights, what are the assumptions about human nature behind each? Why do we assume we can...