COMPASSION

Out on the roads it’s mostly a dog-eat-dog world.  Everyone’s eager to get places and, small courtesies aside, there’s but slight concern for others.  With one major exception.

Mention it to motorists and a surprising number will tell you the same story, even admit to experiencing a rush of sympathy for their fellow drivers.

There they are cruising comfortably, traffic flowing smoothly, when they spot a tie-up underway across the road.  No big deal; highway congestion is, unfortunately, a fact of life.  But down the road cars are still backed up, moving hardly at all.  This is no ordinary snarl.  And conditions are no better a mile or two further along.  We’re talking monumental mess!

Observing from the other side you cannot but cringe at the plight of your fellow motorists sandwiched together and helpless.  Others simply avert their eyes; just looking over and seeing the endless jam-up is painful.  It’s not guilt that you feel — after all it’s happened to you and surely will again  — but you can sense the anger and frustration building up across the road.  And you know all too well that it will be some time before they begin moving again.

Even worse, a mile or two later you spot cars, obviously unaware of what lies ahead, moving unwittingly toward their fate, and you want somehow to warn them.  The untroubled faces of these drivers only add to your unease.  You’ve seen their immediate future and you want to shout out to them to turn off before it’s too late.  But you’re helpless.  You can do nothing more than drive on, fix your eyes on the road just ahead of you, and consider just how fortunate you are, at least this time around.