Bring4th

Hello once again,

Continuing on with the PC "workshops", so called, is the theme of road rage this week. We've all heard the horror stories of people who take it to an extreme and make news headlines. But even on a much lower level we all seem to be susceptible to this nasty tenancy from time to time. Some times we just want traffic to move faster! And some times we can't believe what that guy two cars over just did.

So how does this make you feel? How might you "steer away" from such reactions? In a way, this is a great place to go having just finished our week of studying patience / impatience. Since I live in Los Angeles and have a 20-25 minute commute to a from each work each day, this should be an easy one for me to look at. I invite you to participate in being mindful on the road, and please share what experiences you "bump in to". (Ah, there's no end to the play on words here)

See you down the road,
Lavazza

Hi Lavazza,

Great topic. I've had some catalyst on the road many a time. I just got back from a business trip to Latin America and I had time to re-read Living the Law of One 101: The Choice on the plane, so it's fresh in my mind. Here's a relevant quote for your topic from the first chapter.

Carla Rueckert Wrote:...Negative catalyst tends to make us unhappy. Perhaps someone cuts us off in traffic. We have to brake suddenly in order to avoid a collision. Do we curse the other driver? Or do we brake while thinking to ourselves, "Here's some room for you, Buddy."

I confess that most of the time I would, if not curse, at least mutter at the offending driver! My Uncle Marion, now gone to glory, was a saint who once, when jammed for space by an encroaching vehicle on the expressway, actually said in my presence, "OK, Buddy, here's some room for you." The ensuing braking sprained my wrist as I was thrown against the back of the front seat of Marion's car, and I was angry. My Uncle Marion never expressed any response to that event -- other than slamming his full body weight onto the brakes -- except pure compassion. I believe wholeheartedly that my Uncle Marion passed from this illusion having won his Game of Life.

My attitude towards that driver was not loving. I did not see him as being one with me. I had failed in that instance to use my catalyst on the gameboard in order to make a choice on the Gameboard.

As I look at Uncle Marion's response to that situation, I see that Marion's identity and essence included his conscious, disciplined awareness that the other guy and he were one. The essence of Uncle Marion's response was to balance that moment of fear when a car suddenly loomed in front of him, impossibly close, with an outpouring of conscious awareness of the truth. Fear and love cannot abide together. One or the other will win. We all tend to start from a position of fear in situations that feel risky to us in some way. Balancing that response by bringing it around to love is the basic ethical challenge of many of our rounds with catalyst..."

Love to all

Road rage scares the pooh out of me. I was bad to get angry and do foolish things on the highway when I was younger, this lasted until the day I arrived at a destination with my two children gripping their seats, frozen in fear. They were my catalyst to calm down on the road.

Now I drive the speed limit and avoid the interstate if at all possible. If on the interstate I am content to let everyone pass me and go on their way. I have been the target of other's road rage on the interstate, though, because I'm going too slow driving the speed limit. Once on the interstate, a four lane, two guys were raging at each other and they passed me at the same time, one of them in the emergency lane and they were probably going at least 90 mph. A screaming wreck with me in the middle is the thing that scares the pooh out of me.

I am content to let others have their space on the road, I mutter and may call them a name, but I let them go. I want them far down the highway from me.

I don't know what that says about me and oneness, but I feel much more peaceful now when driving than I did when the rage overtook me.

Funny you should quote that book, Pablisimo, my copy just arrived in the mail today

When I first started driving at age 16, I admit I drove quite recklessly. Automobile as recreation, perhaps. I see that behavior now as my response to not having very much freedom in my life at that time, or perhaps I was venting some teenage angst without really being aware of it. Well, multiple traffic tickets, a license suspension, a four car pile up (no one hurt) and many years of maturing later I can honestly say I am a fairly conservative driver. Which has actually served me very well in Los Angeles.

I typically will try to keep pace with traffic or drive slightly slower. I watch for merging traffic and try to coordinate my car's location with the incoming stream like the teeth of a zipper if possible, giving way to the in coming car. When I see someone aggressively coming up behind me in my rearview mirror I try to make as few changes in my driving as possible, wishing them god speed to their destination and hoping they don't crash. Sometimes I'll try to imagine the driver trying to go somewhere that would validate their speed, such as a hospital to meet a laboring pregnant wife. If they're in a sports car I try to imagine how cool it must feel to be driving a high performance vehicle and feeling the control you would have.

One funny thing my wife sometimes says when someone flies past us, only to come up to a stop light is "Hurry up and stop!"