Chasing the Diesel Demon

A few years ago I first heard someone articulate the idea that God created the world's oil supply, injecting into deep pockets beneath the earth so that humans wouldn't discover it until they were ready to build a fuel based economy. The resulting rationale, of course, is that God wants us to use the oil ... and that when it gets close to running out, the Big Boss will offer us a refill.

I've never taken much stock in this theory, but yesterday, on my walk to school, I encountered a few obstacles that made me think God must really want me to drive.

The Wetter the Better
People seldom blame God for the weather, for for the life of me I can't imagine why. (It could be because Global Warming is caused by humans, but I'll have to check.) In all seriousness, the day just miserable. Wednesday (walking again) I got caught in the middle of a torrential downpour, so, Friday morning when I saw the overcast sky, I almost jumped right into my car.

Train in Vain

A few blocks from my house, I hit a roadblock. Literally. A twenty-car train had stopped and shut off its engine directly obstructing the road. I looked to the left. I looked to the right. In each direction, train as far as the eye could see. No way around. A crowd of students on their way to class had amassed, suggesting that the iron horse had been stationary for some time. A railroad crossing sign rang repetitively not far from my ear. Long story short, I did what anyone would do (and what at least one other person did do): I climbed up the ladder on the side of the train, negotiated the space between to rail cars, and jumped through.

Hands Clean
Shortly after auditioning for John Cusack's role in the "The Journey of Natty Gann,"* I noticed my hands had been dirtied in the process. A strange soot-like residue had transferred from the train to my person. One more thing that made me want to hop in the car.

Truckin'?
Fate can be a funny thing. Was it fate that it rained two days in row? Probably not. Was it fate that a train had blocked the road? Actually, it probably had more to do with the train schedule. But surely fate made me jump through? Well, no. As amatter of fact, this story has nothing to do with fate, or God for that matter. It's about choices, like choosing to walk to school, even if it's annoying, because it saves me money and uses less gas, which is theoretically good for the environment. Unless of course God wants Global Warming to happen, so it will hasten the apocalypse. In that case, I'm probably just a sinner.

*For more information about "The Journey of Natty Gann," please consult IMDB.