We talk about various things at the counter every day.
A hot topic that has come up a lot recently is AI.
I find it very interesting to listen to stories of people who actually use Chat GPT in their work.
We began to talk about how it wouldn't be surprising at all if we were to reach an age where machines have wills of their own and give instructions to humans, as has been depicted in science fiction.
Yes, just the other day I had an experience that made me think, "So this is what it means for a machine to have a will of its own."
I decided to replace the car I had been driving for many years.
We bought it just before our son was born, and it has been with the Iwasu family ever since as our children grew up. The memories of our annual family camping trips are tied to that car.
However, in the last few years, my wife has been asking me, "How long are you going to keep driving it?"
It's true that it's a little large for a family car, the fuel economy is poor, and the taxes and vehicle inspection fees are high.
I used to go there every year, but now
"How about we go camping?"
"If you go alone."
is.
Oh dear. Children growing up can make parents feel lonely.
Now, most of my shopping is done in the local area.
In that case, my wife is right: there's no need to have such a big car.
But I like it. The shape and ride quality are perfect. When I see a car passing by, I don't think, "Oh, I want to drive that one next." That's how attached I am to it. I've been driving it for 16 years, after all. For me, it's more than just a means of transportation.
However, my wife's opinion is spot on. Every time I fill up with gas, every time a tax bill comes, every time a vehicle inspection comes, I think to myself, "Wow, maintaining this car is so hard."
And it will probably start to break down in various places from now on. When I think of the repair costs at that time... I guess it's time to move on. I have to say goodbye.
With that in mind, I started seriously looking for a replacement model around last summer.
By the way, I prefer domestic cars over imported ones.
Because when I was a college student, I declared to a friend:
"Imported cars are cool, of course. But the automobile industry is a great industry that Japan can be proud of around the world. That's why I always drive an imported car after checking out all the domestic manufacturers and getting a good understanding of their merits."
...Now that I think about it, it's a pretty strange rule of mine.
Nowadays, why are we so obsessed with New Zealand wine but still buying domestic cars?
So you're going around all the domestic manufacturers, does that mean you'll also be driving Hino and Isuzu?
There are plenty of things to point out, such as the above, but for some reason I feel a little uncomfortable breaking a rule that I declared nearly 30 years ago.
I guess you could say I want to cherish the slightly strange person I was in the past.
So, starting with the Toyota I drove when I was a university student, I've had Honda and Mazda, so I was thinking that Nissan would be my next choice.
But then my wife said something.
"It's best if it's very small and preferably light."
Eh, it's light...
But thinking about it, when my daughter enters college and gets her driver's license, it might be a good idea to get her a light car for the first time. We can just rent a car when we go out.
With that in mind, I ended up buying a Suzuki minicar instead of a Nissan. I stuck to my own rules.
And last month.
I had to go to Gifu regarding the Iwasu family grave.
This is probably my last long drive with my partner of 16 years. Let's enjoy today.
Thinking that, I tried to start the engine.
...But it doesn't work.
Huh!
I've heard of this one before!
That thing where your car starts throwing a tantrum right before you're ready to buy a new one!
We'd been together for 16 years with almost no trouble, but before our final long drive, this was going to happen...
We had the JAF come and it turned out that the battery was simply dead, but even so, this was the worst timing.
And the day before the delivery of my new car.
I thought it was finally time to say goodbye, and decided to go to the supermarket a little ways away, so I pressed the unlock button on my card key as I usually do.
but.
...The key won't open! It doesn't respond!
Huh!!!
Are you going to throw a tantrum one last time?
That's all I could think.
In the end, it turned out that the button battery in the key had just died, but even so, I wondered why it had to happen at this time.
"This car has a lot of memories."
"When I went camping, I would load up my car with so much stuff that I couldn't see behind me in the rearview mirror."
"I drove this car along the sandy beach of Chirihama Beach in Ishikawa."
"That felt good."
You were listening to that conversation in the car, weren't you?
And so, after your job was done, you were being sold, and you felt like a loser.
At the very end, I found out you had a will.
The battery just happened to be dead and the battery just happened to be dead.
If we look at the facts alone, that is true, but it is up to humans to find meaning in them and interpret them.
I felt that something that shouldn't have a will had a will. I wondered if AI would be unable to understand such emotional movements.
The moment I replaced the button battery, I heard a beep and the lock opened.
I was overcome with gratitude for all this time.
