DRIVING LESSONS (PART I)—OTHERS ARE ALSO DRIVING WELL
My secretary had misplaced the Jovorosky case file. My boss was a pest. My
colleagues were a bunch of inexperienced morons. I was in a rage. I left office
lamenting how everybody around me was a big incompetent fool.
I eased my car once I reached the highway. Traffic was, as usual going at a
high speed both ways in multiple lanes. It was high speed but smooth. It sort
of acted as soothing balm on my brain.
Who were the drivers of these cars, SUVs and motorcycles? I realized that one
of them may be my incompetent secretary or colleague. In fact, they were a motley
crowd—educated and uneducated, police officers and criminals, smart and lazy fellows,
intelligent and imbecile. It would not have inspired any confidence in me if
they were working in my office as my colleagues. But they seemed to be driving
fine!
Their driving concerned me vitally. In fact, my life was in their hands. If
any of them made a wrong move, a terrible accident could occur in which I could
perish. But there are surprisingly very few accidents on the roads.
I cannot support low witted, lazy, ignorant people. They give me a lot of headache
and tension. But the same people are driving fine on the roads. Perhaps they
are doing fine in the world also. It is me who is unnecessarily getting tense.
After all the world is running fine. Not only around me but in very very far
flung regions also. It is doing fine without my guidance. It has always been
doing fine and will be doing fine. The people have always been, are and will
be capable of doing fine. I need not worry on account of people. I have to worry
about myself. I should be driving fine and everything around me would be fine.
I remember when I was learning to drive. When I used to get discouraged, my instructor
friend used to say, “See, every Tom, Dick and Harry is driving. People less smart
than you, people less educated than you, and people less active than you are driving.
If they can, you can also.
Since then, I have observed, if a man or woman can do something, another also
can do it. Perhaps do it better. If one person can drive, millions of others
can too. If one athlete can run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds other can
also. In sports all records are broken sooner or later.
Millions of people are driving well around me. Many people we just reject without
seeing—because of our prejudice against sex, race, color, religion, language and
age, etc. Others we reject on seeing on above grounds but also on the basis of
looks. We so often reject people who are not handsome or beautiful. But when
it comes to driving on the roads, looks do not count, as, of course, sex, race,
color, etc. are also irrelevant.
Here is another article:
DRIVING LESSONS (PART II)—ENJOYING IT ALL THE WAY
I was taking my children to our ancestral home. It was an old house on a mountain
slope beside a creek. It was surrounded by pine forest. At this time of year
it must be covered by a thick layer of snow. My seven year daughter and five
year son were visiting the home for the first time.
No sooner had I put my car in gear than the children started talking excitedly.
“I will climb the tallest pine tree and gather the pine cones,” said my son.
“I will jump into the creek,” replied my daughter.
“I will ski down the slope and oh, I will enjoy the snow so much,” he exulted.
They kept on talking and enjoying every bit of it till the panoramic scenery
of approaching mountains caught their attention.
“Oh, see the little water falls! How beautiful they are! Daddy, can we stop,
I want to see how cool the water is,” asked my son, little expecting me to stop.
“See, see, there is a hare in the grass. No, there are two.”
They kept on talking and enjoying every bit of it till we reached the home.
As for me and my wife, we were tired and bored by driving and the constant talk
of the children. The drive was routine for us. We hardly cast glance left or
right out of the side windows. We too were looking forward to enjoying at the
ancestral home. But we were not in the habit of enjoying the scenery on the way.
The children jumped down the SUV and started gamboling and laughing and throwing
snow balls on each other.
They were happy even before they had reached here or seen it. Even if the mountains
and snow were different they would have still enjoyed it. They had pre-decided
to enjoy it. They had pre-arranged their mind to enjoy. Their happiness had
very little to do with the outer reality. Happiness was in their mind.
Not only were they happy on reaching here or on the way thinking of it, they
were happy in arriving here also. They were happy during the journey. They enjoyed
thoroughly the road, the grass, the trees, the scenery, the mountains, and the
snow. They enjoyed the way to the destination. Though they looked with anticipation
and joy towards the destination, they enjoyed every bit of the journey to the
destination. They really lived the interval between starting and reaching.
Read more articles on Happiness:
IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
THE GIFT OF SANTA
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