Do not fear the rage monsters!

It’s been said that roads have answers to everything. I wonder what that means for people who unleash everything on the ‘all-knowing roads’, abusing every turn, and insulting fellow pilgrims who commute this path on a daily basis.

Countless innocent lives have been lost to these otherwise easily preventable errors of road users, but just because they could speed up a little, stories of lives changed in a nick of time. Life is similar to an ordinary stroll on a motor vehicle; we predict something, and more often than not, something unexpected happens. Sometimes aggressive, sometimes quick, while bad judgments could result in jeopardizing someone’s life in the process.

Many over the years have commented on the adversity caused by these rage monsters, but so few have ever spoken about the real reason for such shows of overconfidence or arrogance that lead to so many loss of lives year after year. Let’s dive into the mind of a typical ‘road rage monster’ and make a philosophical argument on the issue of whether it can be changed in any way other than punishment by law.

Why is he so slow? I’ve got to get there faster than this. Can he go any slower? God, what a loser! Let me show how it’s done. Faster is always better! My boss is a jerk, I’m a badass… and on and on and on. What I’ve found after a tremendous thinking session whilst strolling on my motorcycle is that people try to project their inner tensions and mask their insecurities to the outside world just to release all those stagnant emotions held within.

There’s something about riding (I don’t like the word driving; it sounds a bit too mechanical) that everyone must know. Riding a vehicle is more an emotional job than a rational one. Thus, that daily trip to work could decide your outlook for the whole day if you aren’t wary of it. It’s critical to have a sound mind before you get back behind those wheels as our thoughts are what control our judgements.

From a personal standpoint, I’ve always seen my motorcycle as a portal for escaping the emotional bondage of everyday life. Rational decisions flow in naturally while I ride through abandoned roads, but I must also mention that it’s not the case when I’m jam-packed in traffic.

There’s also another mental state wherein our minds would shift gears to autopilot and we wouldn’t have much memory of the travel altogether. Understanding that our mental states are the real culprits in this issue is the key to solving the riddle of the ‘road rage monster’. Each one of us could use a bit of empathy from time to time to be more forgiving than being atrocious.

Sounds simple, right? It is, but our emotions yet again cloud our judgements in understanding such important, rationally sound arguments. It’s up to the rider now to choose whether he should be more rational than emotional, help now rather than resent later.

Finally, it’s also been said that good habits and good thoughts begin at home. Thinking that every spoken word could do some miniscule change to our character is very critical in developing a healthy environment both at home and at work.

Imagine a day when people understand each other, ponder things from an empathetic point of view, and see one’s neighbors as one among their family. Is it even possible then to think of someone unleashing their rage on the streets?