Road Rage - Signs And Symptoms: What Is Your Excuse?
Road Rage-Signs and Symptoms: What Is Your Excuse? It is a well established fact that people tend to make a decision first, then they make up reasons, explanations, excuses for it. It is our way of justifying behavior that may or may not be reasonable. It is also the way we justify to ourselves some very unacceptable behavior.Road rage is the perfect example of “unacceptable” behavior. It, too, has a long list of alibis. Here are some:
1. I drank too much last night. I have a hangover. No one can expect me to keep my cool when my head if hammering.
2. I got no sleep last night; I’m exhausted. The baby kept me up. The neighbors had a party. How can anyone expect me to restrain myself when I can barely see, let alone think?
3. My fiancé just jilted me, and I am completely broken up. Why should I care about anyone else?
4. I woke up late, didn’t have time to shower and shave. I don’t even feel like myself. I don’t think I’m to blame.
5. I only had time for a drive-thru coffee and donuts for breakfast. You can’t blame me from getting riled when the coffee spilled on my clean slacks.
6. Who can blame me; I was late for work again. Anyone would have done the same thing.
7. I just had an argument with my spouse, and I was so steamed up about it, I didn’t even see that car. They must have been driving too fast.
8. I thought it was my boyfriend with a strange woman. I went crazy and rammed his car, only it wasn’t his car.
9. I took a real verbal bashing at work yesterday, and I can’t get it out of my mind. It keeps replaying over and over. I swear I did not even make a rude gesture at that other driver.
10. I have too many worries, and driving is the least of them. That traffic snarl was the last straw. How do you think a few fender benders compare to… fear of foreclosure, too much to do, not enough time, not enough money, etc., etc., etc.
While any excuse that is given will not make up for the mayhem and murder that occurs when people take vigilante justice into their own hands and wreak revenge on other drivers (and in one case, on a man walking his dog on the sidewalk), they will still make excuses and expect to be justified.No one believes you, Roadrager.
LILLIAN SWANSON lives in Southern Maine, soaking up the flavor of the sea coast. Much of her life has been spent in teaching and counseling, enlarging and enhancing the quality of life for her students. Through her website, http://www.tametherage.com, Lillian intends to use driving as a metaphor to pass along an understanding of how to take control of the emotions that lead to road rage. She is committed to saving lives and making driving an enjoyable experience again
Tags: Lillian Swanson, road rage, roadrage, roadrager, roadragers, story of roadrage, tame the rage
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