Back to Basics – The reason cars have 4 wheels

You may think you know the reason but allow me to challenge your understanding of basic vehicle design. It reminds me of a joke my grandfather would always get me with:

“Johnny Q., why do cows wear bells?”

“Oh, GrandyPa, you are the large animal veterinarian. You know that’s so the farmer can tell which field they are in.”

“No Little John, that’s not right.”

“Then why do cows wear bells, GrandyPa?”

“It’s because their horns do not work!”

When you are done rolling your eyes, please read on…

I was riding one of the motorcycles in the livery through a neighborhood the other day and was following a car. You know cars… those 4-wheeled contraptions that are always seeking to ruin my beautiful riding days.

It was slowing down and pulling over to the right. I assumed (yes, I know, my first mistake) that they were like all the other cars that start to pull over around here… that they were looking for houses to buy. It’s like a parade some days. “Is it this one? Yes… no, it’s the next… no it was that one back there… wait, what street are we on?” You get the idea.

So, the fraction of a second before I leaned to the left and gave the go handle a little twist, they turned left in front of me into their driveway.

Nice. They had no idea I was there. Glad I cover my brakes.

Why then do cars have 4 wheels?

So they can go in any direction they want, whenever they want, from wherever they are.

In the end, the moral of the story is: Even if you are diligently paying attention to what is going on around you, you may be making assumptions that are simply not true. Only when you get that critical (and indisputable) extra piece of information will you see the full picture, and only then be able to make an informed decision.

You can then be proud of the decisions you make, despite those of the ding-a-lings in front of you.

??

<end>