Transport options have changed the world drastically in the past centuries, and not everybody would call it for the better. With more places to go than ever before, we’re in a dreadful hurry to get there so much that we hardly notice the journey. We can experience all kinds of different cultures, but may lose our own selves along the way. The world has become so fast that we sacrifice a bit of relaxation in order to get things done quicker, which may be a good thing, since we’re polluting the earth so fast that we’re running out of time to enjoy it.
The increased possibilities of transport certainly have their advantages, but there are drawbacks as well, which many are beginning to see. When the railroads were first built, many poets bemoaned the tarnished landscape. What would they say about our highways? The landscape is certainly destroyed with cars and parking lots everywhere you look. The advantages, though, are fairly clear. Transport has allowed for economic growth and for many luxuries otherwise unavailable. People can travel easier and experience new places and different ideas without having to leave home forever. We’ve become accustomed to the luxuries of modern transport as well as the fast-paced lifestyle we’ve built up around it.
Now, though, the whole system comes under question again. Is it ethical to fly on an airplane? Or to eat imported kiwis in the middle of January? All these luxuries we took for granted are being considered at a much deeper level, and the perils of our modern transport system are called to account.
