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I had a conversation with one of the most influential chief executives in this industry about this very subject last week, and he expressed much trepidation about the agenda being put forth by the Connected, Autonomous, Ride-Sharing Imperative Zealots, as I refer to them, because it will impact all of us, whether we want to go along for the ride or not.

The country is racing headlong into an abyss of bleak unfamiliarity when it comes to our transportation fleet, and the fundamental rift between the “Zealots” and the “Realists” will only grow more intense over time. As I said last week, this means that there will be a clear demarcation going forward that will be cause for much consternation, on both sides.

And it must be stated that there is a fundamental sense of individualism in this country and a freedom of mobility that goes with it, and it has helped define who we are as a nation. We, as Americans, love to wander, and on our own terms too. And it remains a powerful force to this day.

The quaint notion that a small segment of Zealots would deign to disrupt this sense of wander, completely ignoring its power as an essential part of the American experience, is flat-out crazy. But then again, the Zealots are unable to see the sheer folly of this notion because they’re being completely dismissive of the Realists, suggesting that any discussions of “an essential part of the American experience” are merely the lunatic ravings of a hoary segment of society that should be marginalized, if not completely eliminated altogether. And as you can imagine, that train of logic is headed to a place that’s nowhere good.