Life Really Is Mad.

Life often provides moments that are seemingly incomprehensible. The kind of esoteric qualities that really makes you question the veracity of your own reality. “Touch free sensor soap dispensers” for instance. What an exceptional waste of both time and resources. An innovative solution to a problem that didn’t exist. You’re dispensing soap onto your hands to cleanse the germs. You wouldn’t wash them and then touch the dispenser again would you?! This evolution of human ingenuity that is also commonly aligned with our own inherent stupidity is staggeringly emblematic of our society right now. For example scientists are currently developing meat substitutes, synthesised from the DNA of actual animals to produce “cruelty free” meat that can be grown in a lab. Using just a fragment of the agriculture that traditionally reared meat requires. Making it not only a much more sustainable source of food but environmentally friendly too. And yet people believe that the world is flat. That political leaders are shape-shifting lizards. And television shows like “Love Island” exist. Nothing typifies these moral contradictions more than a notable incident that transpired a couple of years ago.

Back in 2018 a Tesla model X, equipped with a “partially” automated driving system, crashed into a concrete barrier killing the driver. Transport safety investigators have since been analysing the wreckage, as well as other similar suspicious incidents, concerning numerous Tesla accidents, to determine the culpability of the manufacturer but also the competency of the drivers. And though the report concludes an inherent failibility with the vehicles ability to monitor whether the user is paying full attention (because why would you?) was a contributing factor, the findings also clarified that this particular individual felt so assured by the cars apparent “autonomy”, that he somehow felt he had the luxury of being able to play a game on his phone, despite the cars inability to actually drive it’s self. Again a function it didn’t actually posess. Now I’m no expert but there seems to be a correlation between a driver not actually driving or indeed giving much notice to the journey and the car hurtling towards a concrete barrier.

Of course a loss of life under any circumstances is tragic. But the absence of basic common sense is frightfully concerning. No doubt the individuals dismissive attitude towards driving etiquette, in the sense of “not” operating an electrical device while “not” in control of your “not” automated vehicle will lead many to speculate that yet again games, in any of their heinous forms has claimed yet another unwitting victim. In a world so devoid logic, where common sense isn’t nearly as common as you might expect, you have to wonder how civilisation has come as far as it has. The duality of man is that we have the potential to create extraordinary feats of engineering, but are all too often distracted by our mobiles and crash our expensive, though completely driver dependant cars into traffic pillars.