Friday, February 5, 2010
My mom has mentioned a few times how when she was younger everything was so care free. She could leave something behind and not worry about coming back to it gone. I'm not saying life was "perfect" and "decriminalized," there is just definitely a different society nowadays. Hitchhikers were probably less worried about getting abducted or taken to a place that wasn't desirable, and if they were kidnapped, it wasn't expected. With all the crime today, anyone getting in an unfamiliar vehicle must be aware and have a plan if such a situation takes place. Hitchhiking should be the last ride anyone resorts to, but if they are stranded, hungry, and basically have no other choice, I guess it's alright. I would always have another ride lined up or some other plan of attack, but sometimes people, Chris, don't have much of a choice. By the way Chris has acted throughout the story I can tell hitchhiking was not a big deal to him, and didn't seem like a problem. He had a goal, and hitchhiking was one of those things that was just a priority, for his car was now lost and unavailable for use.
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I definitely agree. Hitchhiking should only be a last resort if you are really in trouble. In Chris's case he wasn't really in trouble but it was necessary to hitchhike in order to continue on his journey. Chris was also pretty carefree so it doesn't suprise me that he did. When you said how your mom could leave something behind and come back to it later it reminded me of an Oprah episode I watched with my mom over break. I can't remember where exactly the people were from, but there was a group of people talking about how where they live every job has roughly the same income so you chose a job based on what you want to do rather than money, and society is very safe and they leave their babies on the front lawn alone in carriages to nap so they can get fresh air. It seems crazy that people actually used to do that, and even more crazy that there are places in the world that can still live that way.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting way to look at it from the perspective of the hitchhiker instead of looking at those who are able to give people rides. It is certainly possible due to crime and whatnot that those people can be abducted and never seen again. Anyways, it's very true in today's society that some people are worried about leaving certain objects in various places then coming back to find them gone. Take a look at what people would do with money, electronics, clothes, and food. There are some people who notify someone about it but others will just either turn the other way or take the item for themselves. No society is perfect, and I'm sure that society today isn't necessarily headed in the right direction all the time. I agree that hitchhiking should be a last resort. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but still some won't seek out to help those in need. Everyone has a different take on this topic and essentially every other one, but people should do what's right, not always what they want to do.
ReplyDeleteYes. Times were much more care free back in the day. I wish they were still that way. Chris lived in a more care free society than we do and he was even more care free than the norm. He took a canoe through the flood gates of a dam. You probably need a license to do that now.
ReplyDeleteOnly using hitchhiking as a last resort seems to be what Chris did. He would have driven his Datsun into Alaska if he could have. But since he lost it he just hitchhiked.