Man, Motor and Wheels

There was an 18 wheeler truck stopped at a traffic light.

I noticed it was huge contrasted to the cars of the commuters near it.

That long white trailer reminded me of work I had done long ago.

I had a job in warehouses and helped to unload and load such trucks.

I have done it with fork lifts and by stacking boxes by hand.

It takes a long time for a few men to load and unload such a container.

Yet there in the cab of the truck was one man waiting for the light to change.

He will soon move his legs and arms to get this heavy load of cargo going.

That driver and others like him will work many hours a week.

Tons of cargo will be transferred from Point A to Point B.

Getting things from the point of origin to the destination is done by the big motor.

It is a little amazing that under that hood is so much power.

It is a little amazing that the truck driver can control that much weight at highway speeds.

It is a little amazing that the 18 wheels carry the raw materials and finished goods day and night.

As consumers we go to the stores or order online.

But behind the scenes are trucks, trains and container ships.

We could never enjoy a modern life by consuming only items grown locally.

One way to better understand anything is to imagine the absence of it.

What would life be like without those big 18 wheel trucks?

The fact is that there are 2 possible ways to know.

Consider history before such trucks existed.

Then cargo was moved in wagons pulled by horses, mules and oxen.

Consider places around the world today in developing countries.

There are videos online of carts pulled by such animals even today.

Let us pause and notice how essential trucks, trains and ships are for our lifestyle.

Let us never take for granted those people, machines and companies that make this possible.

It might not feel spiritual but I think it is acceptable to thank God for trucks and truck drivers.