Chapter 8:
An Ideal World
“We're now arriving at District 2”
It doesn’t take long for us to reach District 2. While there isn’t much to talk about aside from our conversation, the feeling of sitting here feels very much alike when I sat at a normal station. The noticeable difference is the number of passengers being much lower but, other than that, it's the exact same feeling a few days ago.
“Well, this is our destination, Mr. Norm. If you feel any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask me. I would gladly assist you!”
“You don’t need to say it so mannerly. It makes me feel discomfort between us.”
Having him said that is not ideal for holding a discussion. We should be more natural, at least in my mind. Talking with a friend should be more freestyle, with no need for mannerisms.
“Is that so? Then it's my apology for having you hear this kind of wordings.”
“Stop, it's actually worse!”
Did I say anything misleading? I cannot hold a conversation like that.
“It's just a joke! I got you good, didn’t I?
“Huh?”
…
“So this is District 2?”
After leaving the train, we went out and I was blown away by the scene that was in front of me. There aren’t any vehicles at all!
“Why aren’t there any cars at all? Is this common or it's something else?”
“Well, each person can own a bicycle for quick movement but, most of the time, we are using cable car”
“Cable car? Are we going uphill all the time?”
Cable car? That is an interesting option of transportation. I understand why people still use the bike, it's efficient and requires no electronics. Transitioning to cable cars is a unique approach if I am being honest
“Oh, here it's coming. We should stand aside.”
“What do you mean by.. Woah”
When I was about to ask, he started to push me. And then, a running noise went from echoes to clear sounds. It was the cable car but on the railway.
“That's the cable car that we are using. It's convenient for when we need to quickly commute without needing a bulky vehicle.”
Now I understand why we are transitioning from cars to cable cars. It's easy for users as it doesn’t need to be steered manually. It can either be controlled by the driver or self-driven by the passengers. It's a somewhat great alternative as I can tell.
“Our destination is only a couple of walks away so we don’t need to take the car. Say, what did you guys go by mostly? I know vehicles like cars, bikes, buses, trains, and so on but how did you guys implement onto a single road?”
That's a good question. How are some countries can have bikes, buses, and cars be driven on the same road. Maybe it's because our roads and we have different lanes for each vehicle. But, from outsiders' perspectives like him, it doesn’t make sense. It's not efficient to have separate zones for each vehicle. Sometimes, the sidewalk might be empty but the road might be in congestion.
“Maybe it's because we don’t have any better alternatives. Some people like privacy so they usually commute by cars, others cannot afford so they opted for public transports. As a result, we have to cope with different sizes of vehicles. Separating lanes is one option we did but it's not effective for the long-run.”
Yes, because of these imperfections, we are running into a lot of major setbacks. For instance, traffic accidents can occur globally a lot on a basis. Some weren’t meant to drive a massive vehicle but were forced to. Truck driving is a common job in western nations. They distribute parcels from long distances and very are essential in some countries.
However, driving long hours can be physically challenging and dangerous. If it's not regulated, it can cause not only the life of the driver to be lost but also the packages, hurdling our advancement.
“Although the mindsets of our time can be questionable at times, we did try to allocate for better alternatives. We always wanted a future where we can rest at ease about how we commute. Road accidents could always happen to anyone.”
Yes, road accidents could also affect those who weren’t even driving. Those who lived near a busy road can have their lives ended by some drunk drivers hitting their homes. The possibility is low but it does happen and it always ended tragically.
“Some sides might be against the idea, some didn’t put much care or some didn’t put much effort. There were always conflicts and always settled by violence. Us people didn’t do much for your generation, did we?”
It's a blessing that a future is still around. At our rate, I thought we were going to extinct our kinds or destroy any hopes of recovery. The present future isn’t a result of our constant violence, it's their results!
“You know, there are always advantages and disadvantages when choosing. I don’t think they were guilty when choosing a side. They might appreciate privacy when traveling by car rather than being on a bus, for example. It isn’t ideal for the later generation but they are helping those around them and that is what I can understand and appreciate.”
What is that? We are totally at fault here but you are forgiving? Benefits and drawbacks? Even though you couldn’t have even been born if we had kept our meddling?
“Besides, what is in past has already been done. It doesn’t affect our daily life, does it?”
What is in past has already been done, huh? To those who resolve our dumb mistakes, thank you for giving our offspring a world without worries.
“Mr. Norm, wanna go and see the whole district on a cable car? It's important to know our surroundings, you know!”
“You know what? You're getting better since I first told you to ease your wordings. Secondly, of course, I want to see how humanity evolved ”
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