Peace In The Fast Lane

WELLNESS | by POSY GERING

WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE: driving on the freeway when some “jerk” cuts you off. My immediate response is to want to exact vengeance.

I rarely remember when I’ve been the offending party. Ninety-nine and nine-tenths percent of those times, I just wasn’t paying enough attention. It was nothing personal. I was just in my own quasi-conscious world. I expected the guy behind me to be able to read my intentional mind.

What if I believed that others had good intentions and were not singling me out in a personal way? Lots of the time, people don’t respond to me in the way or time I want. I tend to interpret actions or inactions as symbols of interest, respect, acceptance or other meaning.

I have a choice. If I assume good intentions, more possibility opens up.

Remember your last mis-understanding? Imagine an “instant replay” in which their intentions were all for very good reasons and had nothing to do with you. What might happen differently?

Sure, there may be a gap between their intention and the impact on you. However, if you believe that the intentions were for good, it loosens the knot of conflict. I may not make peace on earth, but next time I’m on the freeway, there can be peace in one car.