RAGE MANAGEMENT!

I had recently enrolled for driving classes. Kith and kin were quick to comment that I have just succeeded in taking the first step to moving closer to my ultimate meeting set with the Almighty! Ordinarily, I would have jumped up like a scalded cat and point out why they are wrong. But now, considering facts like finding a hard time while trying to keep hands firmly on the steering wheel in the face of a fast approaching mammoth bus, shattering the eardrums of my hapless driving instructor by giving out shrill albeit short screams while trying to steer the car, I really have to bow down to their judgement.

But while pondering over the matter, I realised that there are many other factors which makes the proposal of driving a car less attractive here. Other than the awful traffic, obvious examples of road rage have often convinced me to keep myself off the roads. I commute to work on a private van which picks up people who are all headed towards the same place; similar to a public bus but smaller and more comfortable. Hence, this means that the van will have to wait for a few seconds to pick up people from each stop. Alls well when the van is on the move but hell breaks loose when the van stops for a second to pick up a person from a stop. A million horns are blared and a million curses grace your ears which makes you jerk up from your seat and think ‘Oh my god! Who killed who??’ A look of panic mixed with embarrassment and disgust while getting into the van is permanently pasted on the face of every passenger while trying to board the van.

It’s Friday evening and you are all dressed to go out shopping (of course window!!). On your way to the mall, you probably got a few stares, yelling, gesturing which may mean anything from ‘are you mad’ or ‘who gave you a license to drive AND kill?’ Mostly we try to come of the situation with our dignity intact by either driving faster than the abusive driver or act like you are from Venus and ignore the person. I personally follow the latter as resorting to the former may just prove the vocal critic cum driver right about my rather questionable driving skills.

In fact I feel that we have reached such a stage wherein the best place to vent out your anger is in a moving car. So if you know of someone who has had a fight with his or her best friend/broke up with girlfriend or boyfriend/forgot to feed his or her pet/got a bad haircut/got off from the left side of the bed, unless you have the skin of a hippo and crocodile combined, you just may not want to go out shopping or visit that favourite restaurant of your’s. Instead try placing orders through your phone – the rising of blood pressures and sore throats after all that screaming and swearing are pretty minimal here.

Its pretty sad actually. I have read numerous articles about this increasing phenomenon of the road rage but now even a normally patient person jumps at the first chance of yelling at someone while on the road.

And I really fail to see why…