TRAFFIC CAMERAS

The following is a response I wrote to an article in the New Orleans Times Picayune about traffic cameras in the city:

I drive for work throughout the city and southern region almost 40 hours per week. I am no great fan of these traffic cameras. I do know this: If you REALLY want to save lives put those cameras on the interstates and highways every few miles. Catch and penalize -- and perhaps take away the driver's license of -- speeders and tailgaters. I fear for my life every day on the road and I thank my guardian angel for protecting me yet again when I make it home safely. It saddens me when I pass the hundreds of roadside memorials along my route. Many, many, many people flirt with death for themselves and innocent others when they speed and tailgate. I guess they assume nothing could possibly go wrong. They are WRONG! Everything can and does go wrong in a split instant and they leave no room -- no margin -- for error. I say penalize them all. Take them all off the road. Save lives. Not pretend, but REALLY! 

FJS

JUST ONE STEP AHEAD

I opened the early post I'VE COME TO REALIZE with "Life is short. It passes by very quickly." Indeed it does. My ex-wife died of brain cancer at 58. My best friend's husband died of a heart attack at 52. My sister-in-law's brother was murdered in his 30s. I gave a eulogy some years ago for a 6 year old child who died of heart failure. The concept of this current post is that people who die are Just One Step Ahead of the rest of us. None of us are very far behind. We will all get there in short, due time -- some sooner; some a bit later; but all of us will get there ... relatively speaking ... Relatively Soon.

I have a few memories of when I was 6 years old. I remember these as though they occurred not yesterday or even last week, but perhaps a few weeks ago, or a few months ago, or at most a few years ago. In fact, it was a half-century ago that I was 6. I am 56 years old now. I am clearly over-the-hill. I am beyond halfway home. I will not see 112.

My parents are up in age now. My dad is 89; my mom 82. Their bodies and minds are not working so very well for them as in years past. My parents raised 8 children and it is now time for us to circle the wagons and provide the support that our parents require. A benefit of having so many children -- perhaps the only benefit? -- is that the children (hopefully) will be available to the parents in their time of need. Four of my brothers and sisters live out of town from my parents. They are not physically available to our parents at this time, but they do provide much concern, good ideas and strong emotional support to all of us. I am beginning to organize a rather loose version of Circle of Support (refer to the post TOUCH ONE LIFE DEEPLY-2) among my brothers and sisters on behalf of our parents.

I spend about 40 hours per week now driving a delivery route for my current work. I travel from Southwest Louisiana to Northwest Florida. A lot of time on the road -- city streets, back roads, highways, interstate. I pass many -- MANY! -- roadside memorials to those who have died in automobile accidents. I'm sure I have passed several hundred memorials in 3 years of driving the route. Passing these memorials always reminds me that I live by the grace of God. It would take about a split second for something to go wrong on the road and for my life to quickly end. I am always saddened to pass these memorials, and I am always frustrated by the obvious lack of safety that so many drivers flaunt.

I'm not suggesting that I am the finest driver in the world -- but I do TRY to drive safely. I am not suggesting that there would be no automobile accidents if everyone drove like me. But there would be A LOT FEWER accidents! A LOT FEWER needless deaths!

I have an idea that I would like to see happen, but I personally do not have the time to get it going. I hope someone reading this post will take my idea and run with it -- make it happen. I wish I had the time when I pass a roadside memorial to stop my deliveries just long enough to jump out the truck, say my prayers for those deceased, and take a photo of the memorial. Then post all of these memorial photos on a blog or website. I would like it to be a collection both of my local region/state and expand to include photos from across the nation. A national memorial dedicated to prayer for those who have died on our roads and their families and friends. A reminder to all of us that life passes by quickly and that we should cherish each moment ... and that we should DRIVE CAREFULLY!

Many people drive as if they never expect anything to go wrong -- not with themselves, their vehicle, or the people or vehicles around them. They are either very selfish or idiots or both. They leave NO ROOM WHATSOEVER FOR ERROR. They drive 70+ miles per hour, bumper to bumper, car after car. A frequent thought while I am driving is ... SOMETHING VERY EASILY COULD GO WRONG IN A SPLIT SECOND AND WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT IT AND HOW AM I GOING TO RESPOND IF IT DOES. I pray to my guardian angel often and I thank God every day for keeping me safe from harm -- so far.

Ernest Becker wrote a brilliant book entitled "The Denial of Death". The bottom line is that all of us are trying to find someone or something or someway to outlive our death. Someone or something to leave behind when we are gone. Someone or something in our wake. It could be a family, a child, a painting, a bridge, ... anything ... so long as it outlives us. This effort is what gives our life meaning and purpose beyond its limited self.

I do thank Google and all the Blogger geniuses and workers that make this FJS Thoughts blog possible. This represents for me in many respects my "denial of death". It is my effort to leave something behind. Something that may be of some value to someone, somewhere. I am constantly reminded as I watch close family members and friends die and as I drive past roadside memorials ... that these people are Just One Step Ahead of the rest of us. We are all not so very far behind.

Sincerely,

FJS