Noticing Drivers' Behavior

When your a kid you don't really notice the way people drive, nor are you really concerned. A car to me always represented a sort of comfort, and feeling of safety. My parents would drive me around when I couldn't fall asleep as a baby, and I would instantly fall asleep. It was almost as if i was under some sort of illusion that everyone was a safe, or good driver. This all changed once I got my license.

After getting my license or permit really, I realized that driving wasn't so easy, and that there are are actually often more bad drivers than there are good ones. Suddenly I didn't feel so safe. Today, I actually pay more attention to the road, even when I am not driving. Even my own parents, I realized were pretty bad drivers.

One of the best places to see exactly what kind of drivers different people are, is the parkway. One of the most prominent types of drivers you find on the parkway are the traffic swervers. These kinds of people come in all different kinds of cars. Some drive in old honda civics, others in bmws. All I can think when I see these people, is that they must be in a real hurry. I always picture these as the same people who floor it when the light turns green, only to be stopped right next to me at the next light. What a waste of gas. These people are all different genders and ages, but they are usually under around 50.

The next type of driver you see on the parkway is the speed limiters. They go EXACTLY the speed limit at all times, no matter what is going on around them. While there is nothing really wrong with that, it can be annoying when everyone else on the parkway is going 70, and you get stuck behind the guy going 55. After all, they aren't going to pull all of you over. These people are usually in the middle lane, where it is the most annoying, and are many times older.

The third type of parkway driver is the person who can't stay in the lines. This person might be the one that worries me the most. They are typically the multitaskers, trying to write an email, text, call, put on makeup, search the back of the car, etc. All of this while driving upwards of 60 mph in a congested parkway. You see them swerving in and out of their lane. I quickly speed past these people to assure that I do not get slammed from the side while they're not paying attention. This can be anyone.

I do not believe that someones driving really reflects their personality, the same way I do not think that someones bike riding reflects their personality. Driving is a skill, some people are better then others. Sometimes even the most wild people can be cautious drivers, and some of the most uptight proper people can be reckless drivers. In fact this is often the case. When it comes to driving, hesitance is not always the best option, as you often have to make smart decisions fast. A lot of it has to do with the car you drive.

The closest thing to an accident I have ever been in, is bumping into someone at a red light when I had my permit. It was extremely early, and as I rubbed my eyes, I slightly let my foot off the brake, and tapped the person in front of me. Luckily he simply flipped me off, and nothing else happened. However, it scared me into being more careful early, and I am a better driver because of it. When it comes to driving, I don't want to be that tool swerving through traffic, nor do I want to be the turtle, I like to be somewhere in between. I like to make driving fun, but at the same time safe, and I have so far been successful.

Changing The Way Things Run

I think it is important and beneficial for all people to be concerned or at least skeptical of our government, and participate in our democracy the way it was intended. Personally, I find issue in many parts of today's government. First of all, although I am not old enough to really confirm this, it seems through what I read and hear about history, that today's government is less efficient, and less bold as it once was. The political landscape seems so divided, that nothing is of sufficient size is ever passed, and the things that do get passed are so dumbed down, and full of special interests that they do not produce any significant change.

Other things have changed as well, such as media, and public image. I believe that the public image of government has shifted from that more or less of respect, to distaste. It seems that in the past, while many were very vocal about their disapproval of the administrations policy, there was still a certain respect for your president. This change has a lot to do with the media, specifically during the Clinton administration.

Somewhere along the road, between the affair, the growing size of the internet, and 24 hour TV cable news, the media began to mock the government, and make personal attacks. This only continued, and grew during the Bush administration, and during the 2008 elections, Obama was accused of being muslim, a terrorist, etc. Even fellow, ELECTED politicians are beginning to act childish, such as Joe Wilson shouting "YOU LIE" on national TV during a joint session of congress. Besides, there is nothing wrong with being a muslim in America. This is not to say all politicians are like this, there are still many respectful, and intelligent people in Washington. One of those people is John McCain. He can frequently be seen on TV giving his support, and wishing the president luck, while many others are hoping that he fails. Additionally, he often decides not to comment on issues of which he is not very familiar with, or has not been briefed on. You can tell that he is there for the people, and not himself.

Although we constantly blame, and often rely on the government to solve all of our problems, many of our problems are problems we can solve as a society, and that is where I feel the real fault lies. There are frequent reports of things we can do, that will often solve our own problems, many of which you can simply look online for. For example "If everyone in the U.S. used energy efficient lighting, we could retire 90 medium sized power plants". However, how many people actually do that? The current recession was not the governments fault, it was our bad decisions that got us into this mess. Everyone from the big time executives, to the people who bought the house they couldn't afford. We should be taking responsibility, and doing whatever we can to fix this problem. What happened to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" This is something I do not expect to happen anything soon however. Many people are stubborn, ignorant, and borderline careless. I saw an ad in the paper today, it said "Lost Shotgun, please call if found". How do you lose a shotgun?

Litany Of Deep Questions

I'll start with one by the controversial Martin Heidegger, "Why is there something rather than nothing?". How could something have come from nothing? Has there always been something, and if there has, would that make it nothing? Why am I here? Why are we, as a human race, here? Why do people suffer? Why do some people succeed, and others who have put in just as much, if not more work often do not? Why do people love? Why do people hate? Why is life so short? Why do people steal? Why do people cheat? Why do people often look at the worst in things, instead of the best? Why can't life be simple? Why is getting into college so difficult? Why are people afraid to be themselves, and what benefits do lying or being shy have? Why can't people achieve world peace, and put their selfishness aside? Why are we so flawed, and not perfect? Why do people often need one person to rally around, instead of simply forming, and acting on their own beliefs? Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet? Do you have to know pain in order to know pleasure? What is the purpose of human emotions? What really is thought? Is there really a such thing as free will, or are our actions simply the cause of outside forces? Is the future of our lives and the future of everything around us really pre-determined? Do things really happen for a reason, or is life full of coincidence? Is there life after death? Are the "good" rewarded, and the "bad" punished? If the universe makes up everything, and it is expanding, where or what is it expanding to? Which emotion is stronger and more influential, anger or love? Why do we park in the driveway, and drive on the parkway? Are rules made to be broken, if not then why have the rules in the first place? Why don't people act before they think? Why do people argue about things they do not even know about? Why do some people stay the same their whole life, and others experiment or change constantly? Why does time seem to go by faster year after year? Why does the system of society, jobs schools etc. seem to ignore happiness and focus only on success? Is that what we really want? Is it better to compromise, or stand stern and strong? Why does the interaction between countries seem so similar to that of small children? Why do politicians or those running for public office often make promises they can't keep, and why do people believe them? Why do people often want to stick out, and fit in at the same time? Why can't most animals see color? How do we know there aren't other colors we cannot see, or that we are all seeing the same colors? Why is there jealousy? Why are there so many social standards involved in love? How did high school go by so fast?

Relationship with the phone

While it is not absolutely crucial for me to always have my phone with me, I do use it for a decent amount of time every day, and usually do have it in my pocket. Some people treat their phone like it is their baby. They never let it out of their sight, and need that constant connection with others. This is not restricted to kids either, adults can be just as bad (see: Crackberry). For whatever reason, I have never been one of these people. I often find myself annoyed by my phone on a busy day. I have been known to ignore texts, simply because I do not feel like texting, and like to keep conversations to the point. It sounds weird today, but I actually prefer to hear the voice of the person I'm talking to, and actually use my PHONE, or talk to someone in person. This can be applied to computers as well. I used to be a pretty active AIM and Myspace user, but those days are long gone. I deleted my AIM account about two years ago, and sign in to myspace only to listen to music. No matter where we are we could be connected to not just one, but hundreds of people at a time. I think this has changed the entire social structure that used to be present, and is especially disruptive in schools and workplaces, where they cannot keep up with technology, and the kids often know more about it then adults. With all this said, I do usually have my phone in my pocket. You never know who is going to call, or text you, and if it's something urgent then, well that's what I bought the phone for in the first place, or at least, that's why my mom bought it. At the end of the day the technology is useful, and I can barely imagine life without it. It is how teens now organize, and get together. A lot of people don't ever ring a doorbell anymore, and when they do, they usually texted that person not long before. I never call housephones, and most people don't even know my house number. If the phone system were to go down I think I would be able to manage, but it would be extremely awkward. Cell phones have become more than a luxury, they have become a necessity. People would not know what to do without them, but eventually they would adapt back. Perhaps it would be a good thing for us to be communicating face to face as opposed to over the phone. There are many kids today that hide behind their computers and phones, and you never hear them talk, but on the phone they never shut up. These people would be forced to become more social, and break their shells. Not to mention, we'd all save a lot of money.

Friends, In Number

I think that while having the one or more really close friends is essential, it is never a bad thing to have a multitude of "kind of" friends. Having friends, no matter how close they are, is only beneficial, and if they are not, then the friendship should probably be rethought.

With that said, having those extremely close, almost family like friends, is more important. They'll kick it with you when things are good, and keep you going when things get tough. You can go to them for advice, or just a way to vent, and they will always be there to listen and help. "Kind of" friends serve a different, but still important purpose. While they might not always go out of their way to do something for you, they can be relied on for simple things, and are simply fun to be around. Besides, current "kind of" friends could turn out being your best friends in the future, so you should never count them out.

I do not think that people who have more friends are happier than less, or vice versa. I've found that those with the less friends like having it that way, as could be said for those with more. It all depends on what type of person you are. What really matters is the core group of good friends that each group have. Without that core, neither group have anything. I think that when it comes to friendship and happiness, it does not necessarily matter how many friends you have, but how many enemies you have.

I think that many of those people who accumulate a lot of friends do it because they like to be the life of the party. They like the attention that they get, and they like being involved, and active. Some of it also happens naturally. Sometimes friends find them, and they just go with the flow. Personally, I like being surrounded by not just many people, but many different people. I feel like it evens me out, and keeps my mind open to many different ideas, and viewpoints. Sometimes people use it to fill a void of something they don't have. If someone is missing a father or father figure, they'll simply fill it with a vast amount of friends. At the same time, there are those who choose to have only a small amount of friends, consisting mostly of their closest friends. They take friendship differently. They are perfectly happy with the few that they have and that's fine. They probably put pretty much everything they have into those few, making it hard to have many more. Their friendships are very deep, personal, and real. I believe both groups need the attention, as everyone does, one group gets it from many, the other get the attention they need from only a few.

I find myself somewhere in the middle. Like I said, I like to keep my friendships diverse. My closest friends, have been there for me forever, and that's how I know they are my closest friends. It's been tested many times. I also try to meet and get to know many new people, and widen my friendships everyday, even though I realize that many of them will likely fade into the past. So far, it's worked great, as I'm sure it will in the future. I think I've found the perfect balance.

david dominguez