I, having grown up in cars and airplanes, never thought about how much of a change that would be to all of a sudden be able to travel long distances without much effort. To imagine what they felt like i tried to envision 'teleportation' or some other sci-fi type transportation being possible. The traveling would be almost instantaneous and as convenient as that would be, I would miss the experience of 'traveling' as i know it. I would not be able to see the road unfolding before me or look down and count the swimming pools or city lights as i flew in a plane. I guess, if those experiences didn't happen any more i would feel like I lost something and that the distance between my point A and point B didn't exist. Now i would know intellectually that yes there is space between my home and the university. But experientially, i would have no real proof, understanding, or feeling of that space.
In the second chapter, the author discusses the new way of seeing life and nature through the train's window. Though travelers are not fully experiencing the natural world, that doesn't mean the experiences they are having are any less Real. These high speed trains allow citizens to view nature at high speeds. This can be both good or bad depending on the viewers particular tastes and attitudes.
What i really liked about this reading was how it questioned technology. Yes, being able to get from A to B or C quickly and with relatively no effort can be a great aid to many human endeavors. But that also has a huge downside. As stated, towns lose their secluded nature, domestic products shipped abroad are no longer a key attraction for your specific town, etc... Technology has immense effects on society and culture, but we as humans see any innovation that makes life 'easier' as 'progress' and that must be good. This just makes me think, is my life truly better because of technology? I don't know.
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