When It's All In Your Hands

I believe that one of the times that you feel most in control in life is when you're behind the wheel. Yeah, you know... like driving a car? I certainly feel that way when I drive. I mean, when I'm driving alone in the car, that is.

I can drive at whatever speed I wish. Cruise, crawl or even zip along. I can change lanes whenever I like, or hog the same ol' lane for as long as I wish. I can honk the horn at whim, and decide what type of music I prefer to listen to as I drive. The radio, perhaps. Or maybe a favourite CD. Or perhaps nothing at all. I can think whatever thoughts that are in my mind, in the quietness of the little space of the car's interior, for the entire duration of my journey.

Almost perfect control (minus the unpredictability of weather and road conditions, and also the necessity of abiding by traffic laws).

So anyway, my point is that when we're on the road, driving in our comfy little cars, we're really quite in control of what's happening in our lives. So-called.

Now, what continuously irks me is to see the way people behave whilst on the road.

I don't know what the traffic is like where you live, but here where I'm at, there is almost a non-existence of civic consciousness. Give people near-perfect control over something like driving and what do they do? They get selfish. They act like no one else is there, and that even when they are it doesn't matter anyway. They slip in and out of various highway lanes just so they can maximise their own travelling speed and time whilst threatening to be a road hazard and a public nuisance to all.

Surely people would have the heart to once in awhile give in, and let someone else go their way without creating a ruckus with their horn, or yelling or showing signs of displeasure indirectly through the rear or side mirrors? Surely they would realise that perhaps there are other people in this world besides them who may be in a hurry to reach their destination... that someone else might be late... or in an emergency?

I'll admit that driving where I live has made me a little more ruthless than before. I have learnt to exert my way on the road, lest I get constantly bullied or ignored and have to wait half a day just for a chance to cross a busy intersection. Just because all the other drivers whizzing by failed to consider the needs of someone other than themselves. What a sad state of affairs - the fact that you have to toughen up and fend for yourself, just because of the individualistic culture that has dug its roots deep into your community's lifestyle.

Yet this observation has repercussions for me as well. As much as I do complain about the horrid ugly nature of other's behaviour, now and then I am forced to also examine how I behave given similar circumstances. And I regretfully admit that I cannot say for certain that I would've acted any better.