How A Road Accident Added A Value To My Life

In my earlier post, we discussed the importance of leading your life as per your choice and not on the advice of others. In life, we are presented with situations when our minds are perplexed and not able to take instant decisions. Let me give you two instances while being on the road: one, an example from my own life and the other, a typical situation.

Situation 1: A few years back I was driving on my way to office on a particularly busy stretch which at that time was unusually empty. I was driving at moderate speed on the right line parallel to the divider. The road was filled with potholes and with experience I thought I  knew how to negotiate them. Trucks were usually parked in a straight line parallel to the left edge of the road. One particular large pothole came into view a little late and I swerved to the left to avoid it, fully conscious that no other vehicle was around. Unknown to me just at that moment a bike was riding beside me and as I took the sudden left…Whammm!! What happened next, which I have described below, occurred in a matter of milliseconds. I was paralysed but since my car was speeding it kept moving. In a reflex action, I looked through the rear view mirror and was aghast to see that the bike had crashed against one of the trucks on the edge and the effect had thrown off both the rider and pillion rider. A small crowd was gathering but I was far ahead and my mind gauged it would not be possible for them to catch me. Should I stop – the question popped up instantly? What would you have done? Put yourself in my shoes and think?

 

Situation 2: You are in the middle of crawling traffic with a worried expression since you are running against time to catch a flight. Suddenly a faint sound of siren comes to your ears. The sound slowly gets louder and an ambulance comes into view from behind. A hospital is close by and possibly the ambulance is on its way there. As you are now counting every second, which seems very precious since the airport is still at a distance, will you stop or move aside to let the ambulance pass?

We all know that life is not a bed of roses. It presents us with difficult times and moments. What makes us better or bitter is how we handle that moment or situation. That moment or situation will not come again but our feelings will remain for quite some time till memory becomes faded. If we look a little deeper then we will realize that it is these moments or situations that build our character. In the end what matters is the answer to this question - did we do the right thing?  

How do we determine what is right or wrong? Our actions are based on thoughts, memories and our own perceptions, which have developed over the years since we first became aware of ourselves, our surroundings and the world at large. And along with it comes our sense of right and wrong. When we ourselves identify the right thing to do, then taking a decision on the spur of the moment becomes effortless.

It is identification of the right and wrong which make us do the correct things in life. This process of identification gives us the inner strength to live our lives the correct way. And practicing it on a daily basis is what makes each one of us a better human being. These so called correct things are what I call values and the doing the correct things amounts to upholding our values. Values could be anything – honesty, integrity, serving others, working for common good, ambition, excellence, responsibility, growth, creativity, kindness, putting yourself in others’ shoes, generosity, equality, teamwork, commitment, perseverance etc.

Once we are able to center our actions around our values, we begin to lead a life that is not only more meaningful and fulfilling but also makes us self-sufficient and reduces dependence on others’ thoughts, feelings or actions. It also brings in harmony, peace of mind, satisfactory solutions and a good night’s sleep, every night!

Coming back to situation 1. The instant realization that I should treat people the way I want to be treated, made me apply the brake involuntarily. I went back, checked on the persons, carried them to my car with the help of some members of the crowd and admitted them to a nearby hospital. 

With respect to situation 2, my guess would be that most, if not all, of you would have considered that medical emergency is a priority and let the ambulance pass.

However, unknowingly, on both occasions we have lived a value!! 

As Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt Disney and long time senior executive of the Walt Disney Company, said:

 

“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

 

Picture courtesy:
https://twitter.com/actionhappiness/status/293444937683435520