Right of Way?

Today I witnessed an interaction that speaks volumes about what is wrong with this country. The driver of a white car was planning on turning left. She was not in much of a hurry, however, and waited while there was no traffic. Eventually a few cars entered the intersection turning left in the direction she was planning on turning right, and she actually did have to wait. By this point in time, the person driving the pickup behind her was already on honk number three. He couldn’t wait for her to wait for this traffic, even though she now had to wait, so he drove over the curb and around her. He gritted his teeth and glared in her direction, leaving the honor of giving her the finger to his young son. This disturbing scene epitomized everything that is wrong with our approach to the problems facing this country. First of all, we have no patience. Why are so many of us (me included) always in so much of a hurry that a ten second delay sends us spiraling into madness. Sometimes, things like common decency or a desire to really solve a problem should slow us down and help motivate us to do things in a logical and measured way. Second, we are much too nasty. Taking someone’s failure to turn right immediately as a personal insult is as silly as the same reaction to someone’s decision to disagree with you on whether taxes should go up or spending should be massively cut. Third, we let the past influence our decisions in the present, when maybe it shouldn’t. In this case the woman should have moved originally, but once the cars turning left seize the right of way she, and those behind her, just have to wait. Our invasion of Iraq was built upon lies and poorly handled from day one. That, however, doesn’t mean that action in Libya is unwarranted or unplanned. Fourth, we see ourselves more as combatants in some kind of street fight than collaborators trying to do what is best for all of us. Finally, we are passing all of this on to our children. From the Capitol to the intersection of Route 1 with Maple Avenue, we need to start changing our ways.