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Location: Removing a snake out of the neighbor's washing machine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LowonLuck
Well for me I find this to be the case. I seem to always be running late to get everywhere. I do not have time for slow drivers. Take lunch today for instance. I am allowed one hour. I agreed to meet my bf at a particular location. On a good day, I can get there in 10 minutes. Today because of slow drivers it took 18 minutes to get there and 15 to get back to the office. I barely could eat the lunch by the time we ordered and it was delivered to the table. If drivers were briskly moving along, I would have had plenty of time.
It is not like I can leave earlier. I take my daughter to school. I drop her off the moment the door opens, and then I have to book it to pull into work on time. It is not like I can drop her off before they allow kids into the school. Same with sons daycare.
Yesterday I had a jam packed day, with roughly 200 miles of travel, two scheduled surgeries for my son and bf, plus picking up my car from shop, grocery store and a visit to the pharmacy. I had no time for traffic and was late to everything all day because there was just not enough time. However if people could move along on the road, I could have made up the time, instead of sitting in traffic.
I just wish people would look in the rear view mirror, and if they see a line of cars behind them, they get a clue that they might be driving too slow.
Problem is, there's just too many of us. Along with the mentality of individualism - people would rather have control over their own destination than rely on 'socialist' mass transit.
If anyone is in the much of a hurry, it's because they either didn't leave early enough, or they have way too much going on at one time. There will always be a slow-poke, so we must learn patience. I have to work on that myself. There will always be construction delays, volume, detours, power lines down, rubber neckers (who should be shot), we must all learn that these things are a reality, and will pop up at the worst time. Getting infuriated and violent and reckless will not change these things. I'm a work in progress on these matters.
Problem is, there's just too many of us. Along with the mentality of individualism - people would rather have control over their own destination than rely on 'socialist' mass transit.
I live in a more rural area. We do not have mass transit and from everything I have ever heard, public transportation is much slower, so I do not know how that would help with the time constraints of most people today.
I think another factor is the point that local driving, and commuting in particular, is a perfect mirror of our frustrations.
For example, you work a fixed-hours job about 20 miles from your location; the state Highway Department then schedules a construction project that will add a half-hour delay to your morning commute, and the only suggestion is "allow yourself more time to get to work"; Fine and dandy, but what if you have children or elderly relatives who depend upon your presence, and you can't leave them alone?
No single example better explains why so much of the work/life balance struggle plays a part in "road rage".
I drive around L.A. a LOT for my work and I see people doing crazy things all the time. I confess that I often get frustrated by slow drivers on the freeway. I tend to be a fast driver, but I'm also a very good driver. I never cut people off, always follow several car lengths behind others and am generally very courteous. But for the love of God, why are you going 55 in the fast lane ?
One thing that I think might go a long way to defuse some potential road rage situations is a good hand gesture to indicate "I'm sorry".
We have the quick wave to indicate "thank you", and the extended middle finger to indicate a different phrase, but I don't know of any way to indicate "I'm sorry".
In another forum, I suggested the gesture of ring finger tucked under the thumb, with the other fingers extended, which I'd only ever seen in the illustration on the inside of the first King Crimson album (see attachment), but I was informed that it already has a (somewhat vulgar) meaning.
Does anybody else think that an "I'm sorry" might help, and do you have any suggestions as to just what that gesture should be?
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