Speed

Life in the fast lane seems to be the norm for most of our civilized world. Why must we strive for more speed? What could we possibly gain by moving at a faster pace? I admit that the rumble of a big block under the hood and the vibration of the shift lever in my right hand brings forth some sort of euphoria. The sight of any of the American muscle cars from my youth make me desire the days of old, when a lead foot and youthful ignorance could allow for speeds that I would never even consider now.

In the wild, there are usually only two reasons for speed, flight or chase. When one’s life hangs in the balance, I would think that speed and stamina would become second nature. I have seen elk scale sheer rock, in a bid to outrun and outdistance predators bent on their demise. From a high ledge in the back country of Montana, I watched a mountain lion try in vane to catch a two day old mountain goat kid, only to be ousted by the mother and nearly fall to his death. One has only to watch the majestic pronghorn antelope race across the landscape at speeds seemingly impossible, to realize that we humans are sloth compared to our animal brethren.

So, maybe our desire to go faster stems from some ancient chase, a race that more than likely we lost at the hands of some far superior opponent in a bid for survival.

I will be thinking of that the next time my wife says I should slow down. What if the race were for survival? Would she or the officer in my rear view mirror understand then? Probably not, but you can be certain that I would run! Like my animal brethren, I would fly like the wind!