priceless than peace of mind and it is complemented with the fact that you don’t have to look or pay for parking either. Talk about a 2-for-1 special.
Not only are Uber and Lyft drivers saving lives, they’re the modern-day Planeteers (that’s a Captain Planet reference for all you youngsters) doing their part in saving the earth as well. Let’s break down its ecological impact with simple mathematics since I’m no economics guru:
Carpooling equals fewer cars on the road, which equals less traffic. Less traffic equals less stress, road rage, exhaust and air pollution, reducing our carbon footprint. The more we reduce our carbon-footprint the less we add to the sources of global warming issue (I could go deeper, but you catch my drift). The rate of wear and tear on your personal car is also reduced, thus longer lead times for car maintenance, which means less money out of your pockets. Less traffic also reduces the wear and tear on our roads and highways, which lowers the frequency of construction work and tax dollars used for repairs.
Still not convinced?
Uber and Lyft also help us fulfill the age-old axiom to “stop and smell the roses.” As humans, we are so consumed with our fast-paced lifestyle that we rarely stop to truly enjoy the natural beauties of this world. It’s in this flaw of being deeply enamored with the strenuous complexities of the contemporary world that the obliviousness of our surroundings forms.
If you’re a Californian, like myself, you probably understand where I’m coming from. Do yourself a favor and call for a ride, especially on a workday, and see how much you notice about the very neighborhoods, artifacts, and botany you overlook on a daily basis. The time allotted to reflect and observe is a subtle and peaceful act for the beginning on any workday.
Was that enough to convince you a Nobel Peace Prize is well deserved? If not, that’s completely fine. The irony in all of this is my friend and I came up with this idea while waiting on…you guessed it…an Uber. Go figure.
Abdris Elba, B.S. in Advertising – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D. in Trolling is a SQL/BI developer, aspiring voiceover actor and living proof that the chicken indeed comes before the egg.