As I drove on, I thought to myself, "Wow, it's not even 8am and this man has had quite the day." It takes a lot for me to get that worked up that early in the morning. But as I think back on that encounter, between two strangers (I presume), I can't help but wonder why this man got so mad over such a minimal situation. How does this man have the energy to put so much into his ranting about the trucks misstep? Why does he react so violently to such a mundane situation?
I heard a story on NPR a few months back about how easy it is to de-humanize driving. Most road-ragers out there, whether it be some or most of the time, somehow make a mental shift about the car and the person who is driving it. In our brains, we go from this is a person driving to this is just a metal box in my way. We put our blinders on to the humanity driving or even riding in the other car and instead of making safe and smart decisions, we often get filled with rage because someone cut us off, or because someone didn't press the gas as soon as the light turned green.
I'm guilty. I have been known to be road-ragey from time to time. But this morning, as I watched a man verbally accost a truck, I ponder a few things: Why is he so angry? How did the truck driver respond to that? Did that encounter put a damper on the start of his day? Was he screaming right back at the man in the street? Or was he caught off-guard and shocked by the encounter?
It causes me to slow down a little bit (both on the road and mentally) and remember that our lives are in concert with so many different people throughout the day. Strangers, friends, partners, family... And when we dehumanize the very being of another person, we are missing the point. Even if that person has really pushed our buttons. And sometimes we will encounter people who are having a bad day. People who are going to be angry and mean regardless of how kind your expression and inviting your words. People are going to cut you off in line at the school drop-off and not notice that the light has turned green. But instead of using that as an opportunity for lashing back at the anger in the world, perhaps we take it as an opportunity to absorb some of that anger and to put grace and peace back into the world. Perhaps we look into the eyes of that other person and see the humanity in them and respond accordingly. It may not seem like a lot, but it does create a little more peace in this world.
