Speaking of things that are bound to make your blood boil, let’s talk about that guy who threw his Big-Gulp at your car in the middle of rush hour traffic!
There you were, minding your own business, when Captain Crazy came speeding up from behind. You thought he was going to slow down, like any rational person would do, seeing as there were about twenty cars stopped in front of him, but no. Instead, he merged into the right lane and attempted to pass everyone in one obnoxious ‘flyby’.
The only problem was that the right lane ended roughly twenty feet after the light. He was going to have to merge back into the left lane anyway. On top of that, the light turned green sooner than he expected. He would have to speed up even more to stand any chance of passing everyone.
What he didn’t account for, was the overly-developed sense of authority that caused you to take off from the line like you were racing for a Wally at the Big Go!
As a result, he had to slam on his brakes to keep from crashing into you when his lane ended. If he had tried to get around you, then he would have scraped his car against the guard rail…
Of course, the guy started laying on his horn like a lunatic. He was obviously frustrated about being unable to make his wet dream of starring in the latest Fast and Furious movie come true.
Naturally, you responded by slowly stepping on the brake pedal until the entire line of cars behind you was brought to a full stop. Then, you turned around and casually flipped him the bird.
The fact that he utterly lost his mind in the process was all the vindication you needed to make your heart skip a beat.
Ah… The sweet taste of victory.
After that, Mr. Nut Job followed behind you for about five miles. A double-yellow line and solid stream of cars coming from the opposite direction prevented him from trying to pass. The whole time, your palms were sweaty and your adrenaline was pumping, but nevertheless, you felt confident in your righteousness.
All good things come to an end sooner or later, though, and in this case, the ‘good thing’ was the comfort of driving on a single-lane road.
It soon split back into two and you found yourself slowing down at the next red light. That’s when Sir Screwloose whipped into the right lane, pulling up right up next to you. A constipated look was on his face…
A screaming match, a few more middle fingers and one or two physical threats later, and you decided to take the high road by rolling up the passenger’s side window. It would have all ended right then and there had it not been for your cryptid of violence… It was already been fully aroused…
You flipped him off one last time…
That’s all it took!
When the light turned green and you stepped on the gas, he threw his half-finished Big-Gulp at your car. Then he made a quick right turn and sped away, leaving you with sticky orange syrup running down your car.
Now, while this might seem like another post about violence, I assure you it’s not. At least, no more than it has to be when talking about civil war…
You see, the term has recently come up more than once from people all across the political spectrum. It’s only made worse by the increasingly polarized world we find ourselves living in.
But, why the divide?
In the case of road rage, I’ve found it usually arises from differing opinions. There is often a disagreement about which laws should be followed, bent, or broken.
In my mind, the only thing different about civil war is the stakes.
One side wants certain laws to be enforced. The other side wants them to be bent or broken to suit their own needs. One side sees flagrant abuse of power and rampant corruption, while the other is convinced that they’re being unfairly persecuted.
Of course, the lack of truth in the media only works to fan the flames, as does the satire of politicians performing in our government. The kicker is that both sides think they’re the righteous ones!
This type of division is different from a simple case of road rage, though. It comes with dire consequences… Consequences that could make driving on roads a life or death proposition for all of us.
The only solution is for us to see our laws for what they really are: A consensus of guidelines for how society operates.
We can all agree that a red light is there to guarantee safety. Yet, at four o’clock in the morning, when no one else is around, it’s little more than a nuisance.
That’s why one morning, the guy in front of me looked in his rear view mirror. I swear we made eye-contact. He and I were the only two cars on the road. I could tell what he was thinking because we were both thinking the same thing; the timer on the light must have been broken…
He decided to run the light and I smiled to myself. Not only did I appreciate his rebellious decision, but I quickly followed suit.
In that moment, we were friends; citizens together, both willing to break the law. I knew him and he knew me, though neither one of us knew each other at all. We were bound by the spirit of a truly democratic republic.
Now, if only we had that same level of understanding in the middle of rush-hour.
What about you? How do you differentiate between which laws are meant to be rigid and which ones can stand to be bent? More importantly, how can we reach a level of consensus as a nation?
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