After reading the “Getting Around” column (Nov. 15), I was reminded of a bit of poetic wisdom, “To love the world is easier by far than to love the person in the other car.”
I have always been intrigued by the dramatic change in personality that can take place as you get behind the wheel of an automobile. Perhaps it’s the steel cage around you that permits you to curse with your finger when a highway neighbor drives too slowly or cuts in a line that you just cut in yourself.
Could it be that our highways provide us with an opportunity to express unresolved hostilities that we try to deny in “out-of-the-car” experiences? This “four-wheeled original sin” needs to find ways to experience repentance and forgiveness.
“Those who are without sin, let them cast the first finger” could be a start. All the above is to affirm “Those who giveth thee one finger, give them two in return.” Although I have never used my finger to communicate, I need to repent for an occasional profane horn.
Let’s join Gary Washburn in sharing a two-finger highway blessing. It may not be met with reciprocal understanding, but this victory sign will remind us that our cars can become symbols of courtesy.
As we share our two-finger apology through the tinted glass, let’s properly package it with a smile. That combination is hard to curse in any language.
