Do you enjoy traveling? Do you find travel enriching, enjoyable or irritating? Are you put off by the noise, confusion, traffic jams and delays—or more interested in the people you meet, the sights you see, the life unfolding all around you?
Have you notices scenes like these?
Rakesh and Peter, recently retired senior citizens, volunteer to assist in the smooth flow of traffic. They do not have to do it, but they like to do their part in making the city safer and more liveable for all.
There are schools where some of the alumni come to the busy intersection nearby and guide the traffic flow, so that children can enter the school premises safely.
Other inspiring scenes:
- Teenagers and children help the aged and the blind to get to the other side.
- A wayside mechanic assists to set right a breakdown vehicle for no fee at all.
- School kids hold banners to remind drivers of ‘silent zones.’
- Social and religious groups offer food and drink to stranded travellers.
- A blind boy plays a melodious tune on his flute to bring a smile on the face of the passers-by.
- Street plays enacted by college students on social themes entertain and educate.
- Young artists add colour and life to the drab walls that line our bridges.
- Street families with little or nothing radiate smiles and laughter.
- Little children gaze in wonder at the outside world decorated with neon lights and attractive billboards.
- An auto driver reaches out to assist a passenger or a taxi ferrying an injured one to a nearby hospital.
- An alert policeman takes the opportunity to allow the emergency services to have the right of way.
On the road, you will see people at their best and their worst—both deep humanity and utter callousness. You may have come across the following types of scenes, too:
- A driver—whose dashboard carries religious statues and prayer beads—yells abusively at a pedestrian or another driver.
- We see chauffeurs driving expensive cars chewing pan only to lower the window pane and splash red-stained sprays.
- A well-dressed man screams obscenities at a driver who is driving too fast.
- A family has just finished their packed lunch in the car, and now throws out the waste on to the road.
- A driver hoots away to glory, filling the air with loud and harmful noise.
- Normal courtesies of the road, found much more frequently in other countries, are often missing in India. Cutting the line, crossing the lane, and getting ahead seems to be the smart thing. Letting another car go ahead looks foolish, not kind.
As our traffic gets heavier, and vehicles increase by the thousands every day, we need to develop ways of being human on the road—lest travel bring out the worst in us. Here are seven Golden Rules for the Road:
- Stop blaming: All are in a hurry, including you. We all cause the jam at the crossroads. Slow down. “Life is not a 100 meters dash, but a slow marathon,” Pope Francis reminds us. Respect the rules of the road. Life is too precious; your speed can kill. In general, blaming is a negative and useless way of handling life. Each of us who owns a private vehicle and uses it, is part of the traffic problem.
- Be Pleasant: The young vendor, the active volunteer, and the tired traffic officer have all seen enough of sad faces through the day. You don’t have the right to add another. Let you face radiate joy, hope, compassion. Let your face shine on them. They will wait to see your face the next day. Happy faces are contagious, they make the world a happier place to live. Be a blessing to every passer-by. Smile at other travellers and drivers. Be pleasant.
- Talk to your fellow passengers: Stay connected with those in the vehicle. Talk to the driver, he will have a lot of life’s lessons to empower you. Sing along with the kid; the nursery rhymes will make you younger again. Keep your mobile away. Technology and WhatsApp cannot replace our human need for personal connection and conversation with those we journey with. Make meaningful conversations. Travel is a great time for getting to know people and for making friends.
- Take responsibility: The road is your property too. Engage the municipality to do their job. Lives are lost and vehicles are damaged because of our poor state of roads. Join the campaigns that call for safer roads and clearer environments. Upload photos of spots that need attention and repair. Your timely complain can save many lives. Be a responsible citizen. Hold those who hold public office accountable. If there is not active civil society, government authorities will neglect, damage and rob the public.
- Be legal and polite: Keep the Respect Silence. ‘Horn OK, please’ is no more the slogan. Correct the offender politely; be it the rash driver or a horning vehicle. Keep the roads litter-free. Give way to the emergency services (such as, an ambulance); every second counts in saving a life. The ambulance could be carrying a friend or relative you know. Avoid the ‘bribe and drive’ epidemic.
Mabel, American lady married to an Indian, shared a difference she noticed between the two cultures. “Here in the US,” she said, “When there is a law, we keep it. If it is not practical or useful, we change it. The Indian mentality seems to be how to break the law and get away with it.” The Indians in the rooms agreed with her.
There is nothing clever or smart about doing illegal things. They just increase the corruption and inefficiency all around. 
- Say “Thank you!”: Never leave without saying a word of appreciation to the driver. Remember, you only paid for the fuel and kilometres travelled, not for the driver’s skill, patience and courtesy. Safety cannot be bought! You reached your destination safely only because you were precious to the driver, at times at the risk of his own life. Think about it. Don’t crib to give a tip; he deserves much more.
In India, we tend to take the services of people for granted, and think we need not thank people, especially those we see as “below us.”
We can learn from the following episode.
A lift attendant in a high rise apartment building in Mumbai sees a man running to catch the lift. The people already in the lift show impatience and irritation. Seeing this, the attendant tells them, “I am ready to wait for that gentleman any day. All of you take this lift every day. He is the only one who tells me, ‘Thank you!’”
The world will be a nicer place if we all complained less and thanked more. Would you agree?
Do you thank your driver?
Go with God: We never journey alone. God is with us on the journey of life. Start your journey with a prayer and end it on the same. The word for “Bye-bye” in several languages, such as French or Spanish—Adieu, Adios—means “Go with God.” God journeys with us. He is ever present in our life, wherever we go.
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