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Driving
I freely admit I am at a loss at the need of people to be offended.
One of the questions I ask most often when people tell me someone has made them angry though word or action is:
"And?"
Because while I understand they are angry, I am not sure even they can define why.
This is also why I rarely lose my temper. Not because I have incredible self-control but because I am willing to question my motivations.
It's like this.
I've gotten two speeding tickets in my life. One when I was around 19 and had gotten stuck at the end of a muddy driveway on my way to class and was trying to make up for lost time and one when I was in my late 30's or early 40's and was on my way to work.
In both cases I was at fault. There was a posted speed limit and I knowingly violated this posted speed limit. My reasoning for breaking the speed limit and that no one else was on the road so I was not endangering anyone is not relevant.
There were rules, I broke them, I was responsible for facing the consequences of my actions.
So when I was pulled over I did not argue, did not complain, did not berate the officers for doing their job.
Because when I got my license, I agreed to abide by certain rules and regulations and a consequence of failing to do so was made clear.
There was no mystery, there was no conspiracy, there was no persecution. I broke the rules, I got punished.
Does this mean I blindly accept censure by police officers? No.
When I was 20 I bought my very first car in my own name. I was driving home from a friend's house and as I pulled onto a road I saw another car pull onto the same road some 100 yards back. This was in Florida, roads are mostly flat.
As I looked in my rear view I could tell this was was going very fast. Seconds later it blew by me on the left, cut over into the right lane and slammed on it's brakes. I slammed on my brakes, saw I could not stop in time, and bailed off to the shoulder.
The car in front of me turned right. I hit it.
I bounced off the steering wheel, cracked the windshield with my head, and sat stunned for a second or two before getting out of the car and assessing the situation. This was in a time before mandatory seat belts, my car had none.
Fast forward to the State Trooper arriving and the driver of the car fabricating a story and me, still not entirely clear, believing that people would take responsibility for their actions. I got charged with causing the accident.
So I fought it. Even though I knew I would lose, I fought it. I went to court for the preliminary hearing, I got assigned a court date, I got to sit in the Judges chamber's with the Officer and tell my story over and over and over while the Judge asked questions and made observations.
I know I would be found at fault but since I had done nothing wrong, I refused to accept this without a fight.
And when the Judge declared me not-guilty, it was such a shock I had to ask him to repeat it.
I have zero respect for authority. I have a great deal of respect for competency. And I always accept the consequences of my actions.
So when I see people complaining because they stated they would follow a rule set and then complain about the rule set because it is penalizing them or people they like, I am at a loss.
Oh I understand their motivation, they believe themselves superior and deserving of special treatment, but I fail to see how they have reached such an erroneous conclusion.
I actually had a discussion with my son's about this phenomenon on Father's Day.
People decide they are good at something. They then decide that it is good to be good at this something. they then decide this talent is a mark of distinction. they then decide anyone who has this talent must be of superior qualities. they then decide that since they have this talent they must be superior to those who do not possess it.
It's a nice circular train of though and the only flaw is that we, as people, cannot make a determination of what constitutes superiority. We can only state what we believe is superior and thus cannot claim privilege based merely on subjective classification.
As matter of fact, I find anyone who claims special privilege to be suspect. Just as the person who treats the freeway as their personal sandbox with no regard for the lives or conditions of others is a hazard so are those we claim special privilege in a community.
One of the questions I ask most often when people tell me someone has made them angry though word or action is:
"And?"
Because while I understand they are angry, I am not sure even they can define why.
This is also why I rarely lose my temper. Not because I have incredible self-control but because I am willing to question my motivations.
It's like this.
I've gotten two speeding tickets in my life. One when I was around 19 and had gotten stuck at the end of a muddy driveway on my way to class and was trying to make up for lost time and one when I was in my late 30's or early 40's and was on my way to work.
In both cases I was at fault. There was a posted speed limit and I knowingly violated this posted speed limit. My reasoning for breaking the speed limit and that no one else was on the road so I was not endangering anyone is not relevant.
There were rules, I broke them, I was responsible for facing the consequences of my actions.
So when I was pulled over I did not argue, did not complain, did not berate the officers for doing their job.
Because when I got my license, I agreed to abide by certain rules and regulations and a consequence of failing to do so was made clear.
There was no mystery, there was no conspiracy, there was no persecution. I broke the rules, I got punished.
Does this mean I blindly accept censure by police officers? No.
When I was 20 I bought my very first car in my own name. I was driving home from a friend's house and as I pulled onto a road I saw another car pull onto the same road some 100 yards back. This was in Florida, roads are mostly flat.
As I looked in my rear view I could tell this was was going very fast. Seconds later it blew by me on the left, cut over into the right lane and slammed on it's brakes. I slammed on my brakes, saw I could not stop in time, and bailed off to the shoulder.
The car in front of me turned right. I hit it.
I bounced off the steering wheel, cracked the windshield with my head, and sat stunned for a second or two before getting out of the car and assessing the situation. This was in a time before mandatory seat belts, my car had none.
Fast forward to the State Trooper arriving and the driver of the car fabricating a story and me, still not entirely clear, believing that people would take responsibility for their actions. I got charged with causing the accident.
So I fought it. Even though I knew I would lose, I fought it. I went to court for the preliminary hearing, I got assigned a court date, I got to sit in the Judges chamber's with the Officer and tell my story over and over and over while the Judge asked questions and made observations.
I know I would be found at fault but since I had done nothing wrong, I refused to accept this without a fight.
And when the Judge declared me not-guilty, it was such a shock I had to ask him to repeat it.
I have zero respect for authority. I have a great deal of respect for competency. And I always accept the consequences of my actions.
So when I see people complaining because they stated they would follow a rule set and then complain about the rule set because it is penalizing them or people they like, I am at a loss.
Oh I understand their motivation, they believe themselves superior and deserving of special treatment, but I fail to see how they have reached such an erroneous conclusion.
I actually had a discussion with my son's about this phenomenon on Father's Day.
People decide they are good at something. They then decide that it is good to be good at this something. they then decide this talent is a mark of distinction. they then decide anyone who has this talent must be of superior qualities. they then decide that since they have this talent they must be superior to those who do not possess it.
It's a nice circular train of though and the only flaw is that we, as people, cannot make a determination of what constitutes superiority. We can only state what we believe is superior and thus cannot claim privilege based merely on subjective classification.
As matter of fact, I find anyone who claims special privilege to be suspect. Just as the person who treats the freeway as their personal sandbox with no regard for the lives or conditions of others is a hazard so are those we claim special privilege in a community.