A staple of the science fiction genre is the concept of virtual reality - an entirely artificial, computer simulated world, available at the flick of a switch. Many a science fiction story, most famously The Matrix, present an often dystopian world where one can lead an entire life being jacked in to a computer, not having to ever move a muscle while losing the very things that make us human in the process.
I submit that being a brain in a vat may not be such a bad idea after all - for one thing, one wouldn't have to endure traffic to get to work.
You see, traffic really brings out the worst in man.
For example, when you get a green light and thus are entitled to cross the road, and some jackass in a car comes within inches of hitting you, and then he has the audacity to be annoyed at you because you're standing in the way of his oh-so-precious car and hindering him from going about whatever incredibly important business he supposedly have.
Another example, you're crossing the road, only to be almost hit by three mopedists who apparently think red lights don't really apply to them. I don't know the fatality rates for collisions with mopeds, but I imagine being run over by a moped can result in rather serious injuries. If your goal in life is to die with some sense of dignity, clearly being run over by a freakin' moped is to be avoided. Standing up for freedom and democracy by standing in the way of a military tank with the very real danger of being killed is one thing, but being run over by some 15 year old punk who missed a few lectures in traffic class?
I want to believe in the inherent goodness of man, I really do. But it is very hard to do so when getting from point A to point B within a predetermined timeframe becomes more important than the people you run over in the process.
