How you drive says a lot about you

A man’s true character gets revealed in situations where social norms no longer apply. Take the looting in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, for example. In times of social crisis, when things fall apart, when there are no rules, when it’s a free-for-all, a man’s agreements with himself are all he has left to guide him. Of course, none of us would raid the tills just because the roof has lifted off in a hurricane and the cameras are all bust – or would we?

Let’s look at the way you drive your car: do you race up behind someone and force them to move out of your way? Do you get incensed when they don’t, like you have a right to behave that way? Of course you do! Question is, would you do the same in a bank queue?

Inside the bubble of the car, all you have
left is your agreement with yourself

You wouldn’t, and the only limiting factor is not the security guard – it’s that people can see your face, that their eyes fall directly on you; their staring would burn holes in the back of your neck if you pushed past them; if you turned to look at them you’d make eye contact; some might actually attack you. Inside the bubble of the car there’s no such possibility of contact, so all you have left is your agreement with yourself about how you choose to behave towards others – even when no-one’s looking. What’s your agreement? Do you have any?