Do You Ever Cause Traffic?
March 9, 2019
By Dr. Manijeh Motaghy- Co-Founder of Perfectly Here, Founder of Mindful Business Institute and member of International Mindfulness Teachers Association.
Do You Ever Cause Traffic? Well, I know, at least, I do. Every time, I take my car out on the road I cause traffic or more accurately, I add to the traffic.
Have you ever thought, “It’s rush hour, I will stay in so that I wouldn’t add to the traffic?” I ask this question from everyone in my classes and no one has yet said, yes, I do. This is not how we think.
Just imagine, if everyone acted out of consideration for others, thought about how one’s actions would impact others!! How amazing would that be! When I was in Japan, I experienced such consideration embedded into rules and behaviour of the people everywhere. It was truly special.
Here in the Western culture, a lot of our discomfort, stress, irritation and unhappiness is caused by an unawareness of our own actions and reactions, thoughts and perceptions, stories and expectations of others. We usually can’t see nor acknowledge that we are part of the cause of traffic, for example, and have no business getting upset when someone is merely going about their life, just like we are. Think about it, have you ever woken up one day and thought, “Hmm, today I will cut whoever I see at the corner of Victory Blvd and Desoto?” Chances are you haven’t. ….lol. Likewise, chances are that no one else has either. So, when you find yourself irritated, angry or impatient while driving, remember that you too maybe acting in ways you are not aware of. Therefore, you may never see that your behavior is similar to others and theirs similar to yours.