welcome to autopia

When I was a kid, there was this ride at Disneyland called Autopia. I'm not sure if it's still there. In all its brilliant glory, it offered me my own personal vehicle with control of my direction. When I depressed the accelerator, the car chugged forward and when I withdrew, it stopped. "Curves ahead!" warned the sign as I was putt-putting along. A simple turn of the steering wheel and the car went exactly where I pointed it. I was really in control, making choices and driving the car. What exhilaration, what power and command at such a young age! The experience of free will was wonderful - until that illuminating moment when exiting the car I noticed the concrete track in the pavement that had been directing my car in an inviolate and preset way. All the while I thought I was doing the driving...




So now I sit here, on my own personal concrete track. I may not have control over the final destination, but I can still decide to enjoy the ride. I hold power over the speed, and although I may not always see those signs, I can still decide how I take those curves. And that's okay with me.