Be More Dog!
Today, I want to continue my earlier theme of exhorting folks to ‘Be More Dog’.
Perhaps I am getting old, but I am pretty sure that other people used to show more enthusiasm for doing things than of late.
For example, twenty years ago, driving along a 2-way ‘A’ road in Britain, if the vehicle in front was travelling at ten miles per hour below the posted speed limit, I would look for ways to overtake it. I fully accept that overtaking increases the risks of driving by a significant amount. But as the Institute of Advanced Motorists phrase it, ‘making progress’, is a notable skill to be learned, acquired and used regularly.
Folks with more enthusiasm for driving would have a go at overtaking, some with more success than others. The Law even used to permit an overtaking vehicle to exceed the posted speed limit for a short period in order safely to complete an overtaking manoeuvre. I’m not sure this is still the case.
Where have these adventurous types gone?
I drove hundreds of miles on Monday this week, much of it on ‘A’ roads and even I wasn’t tempted often to indulge in the art.
Have we become so emasculated in thought, word and deed that we don’t pilot our motor cars with a little vim now and again?
Do we accept without thought the catch-all mantra of the adenoidal Do-Gooding fraternity that ‘Speed Kills’? Where are the people who thrill to the howl of a well-tuned engine and exhaust rising through the rev range? The truth is that Inappropriate Speed Kills. Speed, by itself, does not endanger or take life.
That primal howl from intake and exhaust appeals to those who retain the ability to ‘Be More Dog’. To enjoy visceral experiences for what they are. Indeed, although the sound element is removed from the equation, an electric vehicle can often accelerate swiftly, imparting much of the visceral input so essential to the human soul.
I fear this societal slide into mediocrity masquerading as safety.
I fear cars which auto-correct if they think you are leaving a marked lane; the clever braking systems which spot hazards ahead and brake your vehicle to a stop; the truly fiendish computer controls which identify a parking space and then manoeuvre your car into it without you touching the controls.
I admire, without limit, the engineering achievement they represent. But I believe fervently we are de-skilling a generation who will not be able to operate a vehicle in a safe manner if one of these added, clever systems should malfunction or stop working.
This phenomenon appears elsewhere too. It isn’t just driving on roads where you see it. It’s worked its insidious way into risk-taking generally. Before, folks would try out a business. Try to make it work. If it failed, they’d try something else. If you went for an operation which went wrong, or at least, didn’t succeed, you’d lick your wounds, shrug your shoulders and get on with it.
Nowadays, people want to blame someone else. They sue the doctor, or the Healthcare provider. Or the lawyer who gave them advice. We have become much more litigious. It is never our fault. It was someone else.
Can we all, please, ‘Be More Dog’?
🐕 I’m just 🐶