A few days ago, in an idle moment, I watched the highway traffic from my front porch. There was the usual mix of traffic, but as I watched carefully and began to pay closer attention, I was struck by the amazing number of trucks on the road. That casual observation brought me to do a very informal count of the number of highway freight trucks passing my vantage point.
I arbitrarily chose to count twenty five passing trucks (including both directions) and then check the time required for that number. The number of minutes for that count was six minutes. Now, by very crudely extending that number of minutes to an hour gives a multiplier of ten, so ten groups of twenty five trucks gives a resultant count of two hundred and fifty trucks per sixty minute hour.
Putting aside all the reasonable and rational questions about momentary traffic density and times of day and weekday scheduling, I am still astounded at the projected number of trucks carrying groceries, clothing, fuel and medications to and fro across our country. Without that vital transportation web, our civilization would quickly be a drab, dreary, dirty and hungry remnant of what we currently enjoy.
This line of thought led me to stop and think of the great numbers of things we now take for granted. How about green produce in the middle of winter? Where does it come from and how does it get here? Thake a look at the labels on your produce. Broccoli from Chile? Grapes from Peru? That means air freight. Yes, vast fleets of cargo planes winging their way, thousands of miles from point to point, just so we can enjoy the beautiful things we see on our dinner plates each day. It is difficult to imagine the complexity of the support systems required just to coordinate the movement of all this largesse. We are fortunate beyond belief to enjoy these and other marvels and to take it for granted that this is the way things were meant to be. We live in a world of astounding plenty and limitless comforts.
Staying with the theme of transportation, I am told that there are more than a hundred massive, mile long freight trains passing through Kingman and Mohave County every day. This can be looked at from the perspective of raw bulk alone. We have, passing through our town, literally cubic miles of freight every day! It takes a mind much greater than mine just to comprehend the sheer volume of materials passing through. That brings to mind an almost endless series of questions, “where did it all come from?” and “who needs it all?” and how much fuel does it take to get to its destination?” and “How can it all be paid for?”
Then there come the questions of just who produced all those things and where do they live and how much the workers and their paychecks contribute to their respective communities. How many cities would collapse overnight without the world’s modern transportation and economic systems?
Those gargantuan fleets of trucks, trains and planes didn’t just happen. Each and every one of those marvels came into being due to the imaginings and dreams and plans of people striving for a better way to get things done.
How did we, here in America get to the point of being so blessed with such plentitude? I believe it came to us by way of blood sweat and tears, and the hard work and hard won benefits of dedication and dreams of a better future. Those dreams are still vibrant in the minds and hearts of Americans, in our everyday lives as we strive for a better tomorrow for ourselves and our loved ones and those generations yet to come.
I believe we can and should celebrate this world we live in and we should, each and every one of us, give thanks that we live in such a wonderful time. I believe that if we, as individuals, continue to work toward a better future, we will all derive a great mutual benefit.
Jack Hommel
Kingman
