I started trying to humanise people who pissed me off. Over time it chilled me right out.
By which I mean; say you’re on the motorway pulling 80mph in the outside lane and some asshole in an Audi comes screaming up behind you, flashing his lights, trying to get you out the way so he can get back up to 110mph.
In the past, I’d make a wanker gesture at him, then gradually pull across, making him all pissy with me. I’d get that momentary hollow feeling of victory that I’d got one over on a prick. Then I’d realise that I was mostly just angry and I’d achieved nothing.
So I started trying to humanise those people. Maybe he’s driving his Audi like a twat because he really needs a crap, or his wife’s having a baby. I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. Little by little this has helped me to chill out, and not just while driving. It’s carried over into other areas of my life, where I attempt to provide a justifiable reason for shitty behaviour at times when I just couldn’t know the truth.
I started trying to humanise people who pissed me off. Over time it chilled me right out.
By which I mean; say you’re on the motorway pulling 80mph in the outside lane and some asshole in an Audi comes screaming up behind you, flashing his lights, trying to get you out the way so he can get back up to 110mph.
In the past, I’d make a wanker gesture at him, then gradually pull across, making him all pissy with me. I’d get that momentary hollow feeling of victory that I’d got one over on a prick. Then I’d realise that I was mostly just angry and I’d achieved nothing.
So I started trying to humanise those people. Maybe he’s driving his Audi like a twat because he really needs a crap, or his wife’s having a baby. I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. Little by little this has helped me to chill out, and not just while driving. It’s carried over into other areas of my life, where I attempt to provide a justifiable reason for shitty behaviour at times when I just couldn’t know the truth.
This is what my partner and I do! Shit drivers must be in a rush to shit. Has reduced a lot of the stress of driving when we encounter them.
ok, but…
No sir, I won’t fall for your ruse.
Little slights like that, I just sigh, if anything at all, and keep doing my thing. They’re not worth stressy thoughts when I can just keep to myself.