This post is one my life thoughts series. These are principles that I've developed over the years that I strongly believe in and that guide my day-to-day life.
Let me start with a scenario that happens to all of us on a near-daily basis. You're driving down the highway/street and some asshole cuts you off. What do you do? How do you feel? Many of us would begin to yell or curse. Some of us might gesture at the offender. And some of us might go further and tailgate the offender or attempt "show him" or "teach him a lesson."
The truth is that in a city of reasonable size, there are 10s of thousands of asshole drivers. Believe it or not, most of which are NOT asshole people, but that's besides the point. I try to always think about what I want out of life or a given situation before reacting. When driving, it is typically to arrive at my destination safely. Luckily, it is not my job to teach the world a lesson because for everyone you teach, there are ten others to take their place. But the kicker is that all of the reactions I described above actually hurt us in some way. Either it makes us angrier or raises our stress levels. Or perhaps it causes us to drive more dangerously, increasing the chance of being in an accident, which is directly contrary to our initial purpose. In the worst case, it puts us in jeopardy of being in an altercation with someone that really may be an asshole. In fact it is hard to find a single positive outcome from our adverse reactions to such a situation and yet, this is the course that most of us typically chose to follow.
Well I believe differently. I believe we must always remember the big picture, which is our safety, well-being and happiness. These are some of the universal items, but they can obviously be different for others.
Another good example might be how to leave a job that we hate. Do we leave with a bang that accomplishes nothing? Or do we leave on pleasant terms such that we can use them as a reference or come back in the future? Even if we know we'd never work there again, what is accomplished from burning the bridge on our way out?
DISCLAIMER: I haven't proofed this post because I'm thinking of course everything is right. But I know I'll cringe when I read it later. Oh well, I guess I never learn.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
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1 comment:
hi, i think what u said about not getting angry with people who cut in front of u causing u to brake hard to avoid hitting them is a good way of living life, so i dont think u need change ur mind on that.there are lots of things where what we thought is correct has proved to be wrong, but i think this philosophy is the right way to live. I personally cannot think of any future situations which will cause anyone to change it, can you? people tend to take cutting in, on overtaking too personally. For all we know that guy who cut in, may not even be aware of it, wanting to avoid oncoming traffic. btw, i read the post about the naked bike ride being unnaked and that is disappointing. when SF can allow naked runners, it is sad that washington won't allow naked riders. i m glad the british are more easy about nudity in public. The idea here is that there is the liberty to protest, and u can do so in any state of dress or undress. And that is why the naked bike ride gets the support of the police in lonndon. long may it be so.
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