...in the machine

I was riding in the car today, looking at Christmas lights, and I noticed a factory that I had never seen before. It had green kind of glowingish looking windows in that sterile modern kind of way. It looked kind of ominous, like a Stepford Wives plant, (This is the way my mind works) and it hit me how much trust I had in people. That place could be pumping out evil in all sorts of ways... I don't know... like mustard gas or something. Things that could kill us all, and I pay it no heed because I trust that they wouldn't be. I know we have inspections and law enforcement and all sorts of things in place to protect us, but honestly, it could probably happen anyway. If people in general were devious enough. But people in general aren't. People in general are not trying to kill each other, well, in outward, obvious ways at least.
This hits me while I am driving on the highway sometims. The amount of trust that I have that the person passing me, or coming the other way down the road, won't do something crazy is astonishing. Every one seems to stay in their lane for the most part. Again, I know this isn't because of general good will and is much more about self-protection, but still...it all seems to work. People are generally busying along, trying to do good for the general population. It's like we are a bunch of little ants carrying our little bits of things for the colony, and I am a part of that. I don't see myself as that type of person. I am much to.... thoughtful...selfish...aware... to be a cog in a machine. I am the Neo that takes the red pill. I think! And yet, I am a total cog... educating the masses for their own positions in the machine. How did it come to this? How did I become The Man? Why do I appear to be happy about it? Is this my midlife crisis knocking? Am I going to grow my hair out and buy a motorcycle soon?

Total Cog.