Preventable Misfortune...

The other morning I witnessed an accident affecting two vehicles and a city bus. A completely preventable accident where all parties made wrong decisions and moves. The car in front of me was positioned at the stop, signaling an intent to make a left turn. It was positioned so as to block the intersection enough to make it an inconvenient left turn for a city bus. Car #1's driver was taking a long time to make their left turn, so the bus driver who spends all his days in traffic and knew he could execute his turn, decided not to wait and went ahead. At the same moment the bus started to turn, another vehicle behind the bus, decided he was going to pass the bus full of people heading off to start their day. What happened? Calamity.The bus collided with car #2 while turning, scraping the whole side of the car as it pushed it sideways into the vehicle in front of me. The bus was initially unaware of the collision (they seem to be built like tanks) and persued his turn effecting serious damage to Car #2.

What could they do? Well, first the bus could have waited, the car behind the bus who was ultimately responsible for the wreckage all around could have taken a moment to actually asses the situation, not to mention wait his turn as he did not have priority in any way, shape or form. Also the car ahead of me was wrongly positioned in the intersection for a timid a driver who also had a hand to play in the events that followed. Each person behind the wheel could have made a different decision but each one was motivated by their own desire and blinded by their inability to consider others around them. Ultimately Car #1 had priority.

It is (unfortunately) a common occurrence to witness behaviors such as these, that stem from an obtuse view of the world. I have observed that the larger the city, the greater the occurrence. I suspect that is because in a large city people are too busy to get to know their neighbors and the people in their neighborhood. Mr Rogers would be heartbroken! I am also speaking here of choosing to bend rules, or deciding they do not apply to us. Whether it be while driving or just general conduct. We all can recall watching someone choosing to act in a way that is selfish and self serving, having decided in advance that their needs are more important than those around them, or more important than respecting rules or laws even. After all those laws are for other people, aren't they? Sometimes I see driving behavior that is just reckless. How do we get there? How do we allow ourselves to care so little about the people in the world around us that we would risk their lives for our own perceived convenience? When misfortune calls upon us and we must adjust our lives in consequence (illness, job loss, death of a loved one, etc.) that is a challenge for any of us to overcome. When we bring preventable misfortune onto ourselves (and others) that is just careless and dissapointing. 

Wayne Dyer says, "Happiness is an attitude."  Today I invite you to put a little more consideration into your world. Every little bit sows a good seed.

Ciao 

Bianca




Leave a comment