How to Live on the Highway: Tao Te Ching’s Inspiration.

How to live on the Highway: Tao Te Ching’s Inspiration.

“A skilled warrior does not rush ahead of others. A skilled fighter
does not make a show of anger. A skilled victory does not seek
revenge. A skilled employer does not act superior. This is known as
the virtue of not competing. This is known as making use of the
abilities of others. This is known as being united with heaven as it
was in ancient times.”¹

A safe and skilled driver should never compete and realize what other
people do o the road will not always what they predict or expect.
When I was 18, I had one minor collision between two cars, driving
one of them. The other vehicle had family members, whom challenged me
and others in my vehicle to a race for our destination. I followed
the rules of the road with care to the parking-lot, where a line-up
formed towards a separate destination, in a lane with a broken
yellow-line. With no on-coming traffic or turning-signals visible, I
chose to move out from the line-up and drive beyond it, to win the
competition. Near the end, my relative’s vehicle made a turn, my
reaction was to turn aside immediately and avoid them, yet we
collided together. Nobody was hurt, neither were the vehicles
insufficient to drive.

By the book, no major laws were broken, yet this does not excuse a
poor decision which I made. In those moments, I was confident behind
the wheel yet accepted competition, one element I had not prepared
for, and my self-importance ahead of safety.

“Your integrity or your body: which is more important? Your body
or your possessions: which is worth more? Gain or loss: which is more
harmful. Thus it is that the miser will pay much. The hoarder will
suffer great loss. Be content with what you have and you will not be
disgraced. Know when to step and you will be preserved from danger.
Only in this way will you long endure.”²

Driving safely on a road is a simple concept that many people learn,
yet easily forget. When people drive angry, in a rush, or believe
their purpose has the only importance, they forget about driving
safely New drivers, or anyone behind the wheel need to put their own
importance aside to watch for such dangers other’s are doing and
prevent harm to themselves and by-standards accordingly. In a
separate experience, while driving along a highway a behind my own
moved across a solid yellow line with an oncoming semi-truck and sped
to pull ahead. I responded by slowing down, choosing to follow
responsibility and awareness to avoid accidents from someone else’s
recklessness. In my only accident I was not aware of what my
relatives were doing, yet here I was aware and avoided a major crash
from a separate person’s error.

These are what
can define a good driver.