spare the air and running off cliffs

The past weekend set new records in several Bay Area locations. Saturday was also a "Spare the Air Day." Do you think people bothered? I doubt it. I went running on Saturday and people were driving busily up and down the freeways, causing traffic jams everywhere. You might think that because it was weekend day, people would try to drive less.

On weekdays, spare the air rarely amounts to anything. People "have to" go to work. They need to participate in the rat race so they can afford to keep up with the neighbors. Or make the payments on that overpriced McMansion they bought years ago. Or pay for a new "hybrid" car. In short, they need to do their patriotic duty and keep up the consumption and consumerism that is the engine of our wealth.

Weekends are no different. After working hard all week, who can blame us for wanted to go on a little trip? Or drive junior to the little league, and then to soccer, and then to chess, and then.. Well, you get the picture. We have obligations to fulfill. We have things to do, important things, things that cannot be derailed by a spare the air announcement.

Ever seen a herd of cattle run off a cliff? I doubt that you have seen this happen in real life, but surely you have seen this in one of the many nature shows on TV? Or you may have read that the plains Indians used this technique to hunt down bison?

Surely you must have wondered, what could possibly possess these dumb animals to be so stupid as to run off a cliff? You must have wondered, what were they thinking? Well, search no further because the answer is at hand. We, humans are running off a cliff too. And what are we thinking? Probably the same thing those cattle thought.

We have always done things this way. It has always worked in the past. We must follow the herd. We must go with them or be left behind. Surely they know what they are doing. Things are fine, so why worry. Aaaahhh, a cliff... Never saw that coming!?!?