universality nor has any other culture been so completely shaped by a mechanical device. But deep down at the base it is pretty clear that the car and its other forms, is somehow related to a philosophical and perhaps political attitude that has determined the extreme value placed on what we believe to be "personal freedom". The motor vehicle is the embodiment of this widely accepted value in North American society even more so then Americans think that the right to carry a gun is somehow related to personal freedom.

There was a time just after world war two that many thought the aircraft would supplant the land vehicle and this has turned out not to be the case. Some believe that the failure of private aviation to flourish in a similar manner as that of the car culture, is because aviation is not a private matter, but requires extensive cooperation and collaboration to accomplish safely.

For now the car, the truck, the motor home, each incarnations of personal vehicles, seem to be here to stay. Not because of necessity but because of the powerful forces that come from living in a place big enough and expansive enough to demand that the individual seek and pursue freedom. We must talk about this another time.