The Power of Not Driving

I felt sad when I saw the Independent encouraging people to drive to Carrizo Plain National Monument. This remote, quiet, sacred place should be respected, and not with a single-use automobile. Many people think they have no choice but to drive, if they wish to see lovely views and breathe clean air. But it becomes a vicious cycle of ruining a place with too much automobile traffic, then having to drive even further to reach a more distant, “unruined” natural place.

A disabled friend once said to me, “Use the legs God gave you or God will take them away and give them to someone who appreciates them.”

Take a day off and see what all you can do without driving. One: you meet your neighbors. Two: you meet the birds who watch you come and go every day in your metal box. You build leg and back muscle, and independence, and get valuable meditation time, all for free.

And you might — just a little bit — deny a Russian or Saudi oil billionaire the joy of running our foreign policy for us.