Is it even possible for someone to be never a hypocrite? At all, not once in their adult life? I'd like to be and I find many a times when my conscience strong arms my own arm and untwirls my clenched fists to point at myself and tell me that
'You are a bloody hypocrite'.
Take for instance, road rage. I have been driving for about twenty years now and I thought I had matured as a driver and learned to take with equanimity situations where I would otherwise feel terribly wronged by the other driver.
Normally, I find myself even telling my dad to calm down when he would set out with his "rascal" from the safety of the largely soundproof airconditioned car! I would beseech him with a 'Whats the use?" he is not going to change because you yelled at him. Let it be."
Today, much to my shame, I found another driver pointing his finger at me and cursing me for what I strongly believe was his mistake (he tried to pass me on the left and got caught in a tight situation when I had to swerve left to give way to an oncoming vehicle). My valve blew and I was seeing red .
I immediately tried to give him a chase to yell at him and did not get to move more than 100 yards before the traffic stopped me. Suddenly I was enveloped by a whole bunch of people who started screaming at me for driving like a lunatic :( and my mood swung 360 degrees from anger to shame! I apologized instantly and they moved off cursing me :(
I'm still feeling ashamed at my own behavior! Why did I behave the way I did? My reaction was not even commiserate with the incident of the biker yelling at me! At the end only I was left with a bruised pride, broken principle, depression.
I realized that the crowd was just in shouting me down for rash driving. I would have yelled at myself and cursed myself worser had I been in the crowd watching myself drive down the way I did.
Though I never even got to shift beyond the first gear! I merely accelerated loudly to 20kph! venting my flash of anger on the accelerator pedal, its still an act that reeks of hypocrisy!
In a flash, I was brought down to earth and I felt ashamed at myself. I lost a bit of my own self respect.
I realize with humility, I have not still conquered the road rage and I still have some way to go. I accept this judgment and will work on it.
Part 2- Instant Karma!
Hot on the heels of what happened this morning, I proceeded to work with shame and depression attacking me from all sides. As we were trawling in the traffic, I heard a loud bump and realized that someone had rammed into me from behind.
I got off the vehicle and saw that a Santro had bumped into my back. I looked at the driver of the car who was inside and was wearing a bemused look on his face. He opened his vehicle and asked me
"what?"
"You ran into my car"
"Did you reverse?" he asked me
".....what?"
"you would have reversed thats why you bumped into me"
am too stunned to even react! I start laughing
".. how will i reverse when the traffic is moving forward?
" move move.. take your vehicle. you'd have reversed thats why you rammed into me"
"Sir, the least you can do is admit that you ran into me by mistake and say a sorry, instead you are making such wild goose accusations and trying to wiggle out of the situation. Is it fair?"
"....... Ok, sorry,.... "
" thanks.. " and we move on.
He waves sorry again as he passes me now. I'm sure he would have regretted his behaviour and said sorry.
Now that coming from me hot on the heels of lunacy just twenty minutes earlier, surprised me.
Well, I got rammed into the back as sort of instant punishment for my stupidity earlier in the day. That's what I'd say instant karma, delivered!
Action Item: work on the anger further!
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