Some thoughts on the new Labor Day
Ah, Labor Day! A day to reflect on all it is that we're laboring for. Typically spent with family and friends, and usually one of the busiest days on the highways of America, as people travel to see loved ones, or to the mountains or beach for a picnic, or just to go out and see something new in this great, big country of ours.
Yet the highway leading in and out of Houston in my part of town is virtually devoid of vehicles. This time last year, it was crowded going both directions with people heading off to their activites. And of course, this is because of the astronomical price of gas.
Having no family within a day's drive, we usually head to the beach for Labor Day. Not this year, though. I think we'll just throw some steaks on the grill and have a small gathering.
Last year, we could get to the beach and back for about forty bucks worth of gas. This year it would cost over $100, as forty bucks will barely halfway fill up the tank. I'm sure people will still be at the beach, but fuel to get there and back is no longer an incidental, it's something that needs to be budgeted for. What would before have gone for a night at a hotel or a nice meal in a resteraunt, now gets consumed by the car.
We also have a different perspective on the issue than we did last year. Today I feel good that the price of gas has not gone up at my gas station for almost three days now. Never mind that the price increased more in the past week than in the previous month, and that's it's gone up more in the last month than in the year prior.
So are we progressing as a society? Sure, we have high speed internet, wireless communications and nano-technology, but as we burn more petroleum, cause global warming, and continue to hate those not like us, are we really moving forward?
So as we ponder what it is we're laboring for, let us not forget that it's not just about family and friends, although those are of the highest import. We're also laboring for (or at least should be) a better world for our children and grandchildren, and for mankind as a whole.
Yet the highway leading in and out of Houston in my part of town is virtually devoid of vehicles. This time last year, it was crowded going both directions with people heading off to their activites. And of course, this is because of the astronomical price of gas.
Having no family within a day's drive, we usually head to the beach for Labor Day. Not this year, though. I think we'll just throw some steaks on the grill and have a small gathering.
Last year, we could get to the beach and back for about forty bucks worth of gas. This year it would cost over $100, as forty bucks will barely halfway fill up the tank. I'm sure people will still be at the beach, but fuel to get there and back is no longer an incidental, it's something that needs to be budgeted for. What would before have gone for a night at a hotel or a nice meal in a resteraunt, now gets consumed by the car.
We also have a different perspective on the issue than we did last year. Today I feel good that the price of gas has not gone up at my gas station for almost three days now. Never mind that the price increased more in the past week than in the previous month, and that's it's gone up more in the last month than in the year prior.
So are we progressing as a society? Sure, we have high speed internet, wireless communications and nano-technology, but as we burn more petroleum, cause global warming, and continue to hate those not like us, are we really moving forward?
So as we ponder what it is we're laboring for, let us not forget that it's not just about family and friends, although those are of the highest import. We're also laboring for (or at least should be) a better world for our children and grandchildren, and for mankind as a whole.
posted by Wyld Card at
1:54 PM
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