"What is the speed limit on South African roads?
R100"
I guess that most of you will think this is mostly applicable to taxis. I can understand taxis though. Don't get me wrong - I'm not condoning their behaviour and I would like to see them disciplined severely. However, due to a lack of a solution to the "taxi problem", I think many of us are so use to them that we are always on the lookout for them in order to be safe. Some important things I learned regarding taxis:
- Never fight a taxi. If a taxi want to pass you in order to speed or drive in the yellow lane or whatever other rule to break - just let them. It's much safer that way. Remember a taxi does not care about his vehicle, or yours for that matter, and won't try to avoid scratching you.
- Never curse a taxi. Honestly they do not care. All you are succeeding in is to push your own blood pressure up. "Like water from the back of a duck" does not even closely say how much they don't care about your curses.
- Never get into a shouting match with a taxi or try to physically attack them. Apart from this being not spiritual at all, it is plain right stupid. They have to make only one phone call and the whole universe of taxis will surround you... Who ya gonna call?
The problem is that taxis are not even the main problem. So we are used to them not following the rules. What's flabbergasting is all the other vehicles acting in league with the taxis, mimicking them. It is to them who I address this (because taxis won't listen anyway and I hope the rest of the bad drivers still have something of a conscience).
There are some reasons anyone can think of about why the rules of the road should be followed. Especially the two I am focusing on. One is obviously that it is the law... When we think of criminals we immediately think about thieves, murderers, burglars and so forth. The fact that you drive in the yellow lane or drive over the speed limit means that you are also a criminal. Look, I understand that you are late for work and that you have to get there as soon as possible or else you have to explain to your boss... but, when the traffic is thick, so will the rest of us. Don't be a criminal and let's manoeuvre the traffic together.
Another obvious reason is the danger factor. Especially with speeding - there is so much happening on the road and not everybody are as aware. Think of how many people are on their cell phones while driving (which is also against the law by the way for those odd ones who didn't know) or busy thinking about the day ahead or the fight with the wife last night instead of focusing on the road. Add to that the fact that you are driving 180km/h in a 120km/h zone... We see so many road accidents and will, ironically, slow down to see what happened just to speed up right after that again not sparing a single thought that perhaps it was the speeding that killed.
One last reason I want to mention (but there is much more) is especially for the yellow lane drivers. You might get to the front of the line much quicker but the moment you want to return to the actual lane where you are supposed to drive, you slow everyone else down even more. But, because you got to your destination quicker, what do you care, right?
But that is exactly it. What does all this have to do with spirituality? Personally I believe that spirituality is not just going to church on a Sunday or going to the Mosque or Synagogue on a Friday or Saturday. Spirituality is not just about visiting temples or other holy places, about meditating and praying and reading the Scriptures. Spirituality is also what you do after you did all those things. Actually spirituality is changing yourself on the inside and then acting it out into the real world. If you are serious about your spiritual life than you should know that life as a whole is supposed to be an act of worship. Kindness, compassion and love should shine in absolutely everything you do. The world will not be changed by famous people doing big and awesome things but by normal people doing small things out of love for their fellow human beings, all other beings and nature itself.
Caring, then, starts with yourself and can be acted out in something as mundane as driving on the way to work (or wherever else you are heading). Let's start with the more obvious one - speeding. In many cases a law was implemented with a specific reason (I'm sure there is some that are not, but that's besides the point at the moment). The speed limit were not implemented in order to keep you from reaching your destination in time (time management is your responsibility, not that of your government). It is there precisely because death may occur when two vehicles collide (Yes there might be other, less virtuous reasons, but again - besides the point). Loving yourself should be enough motivation to drive within the speed limit, not to talk about the danger in which you put others. Loving others, and realising that if you cause an accident you will be hurting them, is a basic point in the fact that we are all interconnected.
"The moment you understand the importance of loving yourself,
you will stop hurting others."
Now as for yellow lane driving. In a strange way a person who speeds and a person who drive in the yellow lane are equally guilty when there is an accident. To understand why we need to understand the reason for the existence of the yellow lane to begin with. When you are in an accident you would surely hope that the ambulance arrive at the scene as soon as possible. With a big traffic situation the yellow lane is exactly for this purpose. Now if there is bumper to bumper traffic, perhaps because you were in an accident, and many people decide to skip ahead by driving in the yellow lane then that means that the ambulance will also have to drive slower as it cannot make full use of the lane. And here's the connection between the guilt of a yellow lane driver and the one who caused the accident through speeding - if you are the one driving in the yellow lane, then you are the one obstructing the way for the ambulance. Someone else might die because you wanted to get ahead quicker.
The meaning of the words "love your neighbour as yourself" means much more than just taking some food to a homeless person whenever the need to feel good hits you. It is phrase that should be present within every interaction, directly or indirectly, with others.
Drive safely
and may the One God with many Names and many Manifestations bless you
