I have developed a quantitative measure of our nation's morality based on the fraction of folks who consistently and properly use the turn signals on their vehicles. My theory is that if this fraction was 100%, we would be living in an absolute utopia marked by peace, prosperity, generosity, and love. If this fraction was 0%, we would be living in a time of sinister evil, total corruption, and absolute selfishness. If you take notice when you are out on the roads, most folks do not use their turn signals. They drive their vehicles with reckness abandon, cutting off anyone who stands in their way. The lack of turn signal usage parallels our society's descent into amorality. I would suggest that while usage of a turn signal may seem to be a small action in the grand scheme of things, it is an indicator of our moral status. When folks who don't use their turn signals are asked why they don't use them, they respond with statements like, "I just never think of it.", "Why should I, I know where I want to go.", "It is just too much of a bother." I would put forth that each of these replies and others of this ilk, clearly show how selfish we all are. I would further put forth that selfishness in the little things correlates directly with selfishness in the bigger things.
Along these lines, I had one further thought, really a prediction of the future. The current generations really are noticably worse in using their turn signals. This propensity will not change when they get older and their judgment and skills begin to erode. Can you imagine the sheer number of roadway accidents, injuries, and deaths that lie ahead of us because folks never thought to use their turn signals? Because folks were ruled by their own selfishness?
