This morning I went to church, which you know from the title, to hear an old friend give what Unity calls the Message, what we used to call the Sermon. He told a story about a woman who nearly caused him to have an accident by pulling in front of him so he had to jam on his brakes or hit her or go off the road. It got him upset enough that he followed her and when she got out of her car, told her he had to jam on his brakes to avoid hitting her. Her response? "Thank you."
His message was that he had wanted to make her feel guilty, that he was angry (and therefore by New Age definition, at fault) and that she "refused to buy in to it."
I was thinking as I drove along after Church, wouldn't it be nice, or appropriate, if she had said, "I'm sorry I was careless and thank you for telling me. It's a good reminder for me to be more careful and pay attention when I'm driving." She wouldn't have to say ALL that, but something, anything to indicate she was hearing that she was a danger on the road.
So I called my friend and told him what I thought, that it would have been lovely if perhaps she had taken responsibility ("I'm sorry...") instead of allowing him to take all the responsibility by thanking him, presumably for braking instead of hitting her. After I finished the call, I came upon my first accident, a typical fender bender type collision where someone had slowed down to turn and the driver behind was paying attention to something other than driving. Cars were already lining up behind them and my lane seemed for a minute or two, to drive more carefully.
Let me interject right here that yes, I was on a cell phone. In my defense, his number is in my phone so I didn't have to search, and I kept my eyes on the road and there was, when I placed the call, almost no one else there. But yeah, driving and talking can be dangerous and I try not to do it at all when I am in trafficky areas or especially in cities. So I was talking, but also watching and no one was in front of me right then.
Then someone was tailgating me. Not badly enough to make me nervous, like when one of those giant SUVs is hovering over the bumper of my little Honda, but definitely in a hurry, even though there was visible traffic ahead. Finally they passed me, rushed along to the next group of vehicles and ran a motorcycle off the road, either hitting them outright or just crowding them down an embankment.
In New Age theology, being judgmental is among the worst errors we can commit. There's a line between being judgmental, which feels gratuitous, and being responsible and aware of other people. I don't have much personal judgment about the person who caused the accident, but I do know they were dangerous to other people on the road, which they proved. I called 911 and reported it. That was the most responsible (responding to the needs of the situation) I could be at the moment.
His message was that he had wanted to make her feel guilty, that he was angry (and therefore by New Age definition, at fault) and that she "refused to buy in to it."
I was thinking as I drove along after Church, wouldn't it be nice, or appropriate, if she had said, "I'm sorry I was careless and thank you for telling me. It's a good reminder for me to be more careful and pay attention when I'm driving." She wouldn't have to say ALL that, but something, anything to indicate she was hearing that she was a danger on the road.
So I called my friend and told him what I thought, that it would have been lovely if perhaps she had taken responsibility ("I'm sorry...") instead of allowing him to take all the responsibility by thanking him, presumably for braking instead of hitting her. After I finished the call, I came upon my first accident, a typical fender bender type collision where someone had slowed down to turn and the driver behind was paying attention to something other than driving. Cars were already lining up behind them and my lane seemed for a minute or two, to drive more carefully.
Let me interject right here that yes, I was on a cell phone. In my defense, his number is in my phone so I didn't have to search, and I kept my eyes on the road and there was, when I placed the call, almost no one else there. But yeah, driving and talking can be dangerous and I try not to do it at all when I am in trafficky areas or especially in cities. So I was talking, but also watching and no one was in front of me right then.
Then someone was tailgating me. Not badly enough to make me nervous, like when one of those giant SUVs is hovering over the bumper of my little Honda, but definitely in a hurry, even though there was visible traffic ahead. Finally they passed me, rushed along to the next group of vehicles and ran a motorcycle off the road, either hitting them outright or just crowding them down an embankment.
In New Age theology, being judgmental is among the worst errors we can commit. There's a line between being judgmental, which feels gratuitous, and being responsible and aware of other people. I don't have much personal judgment about the person who caused the accident, but I do know they were dangerous to other people on the road, which they proved. I called 911 and reported it. That was the most responsible (responding to the needs of the situation) I could be at the moment.
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