Have you ever been the target of road rage? If so, how did you respond?
Road rage is not an enjoyable experience to endure, but one can come out in a better place from spiritual lessons learned.
I wrote about how I responded to an incident of road rage in this piece just published in my local newspaper, The Tri-City Herald, titled, “Have you been the recipient of road rage? Instead of cursing, try this.”
There are many beautiful thoughts, ideas and spiritual certainties outlined for us here Evan . Thank you so much for sharing how to react to what can be an everyday threatening experience for some people..
I think what impacts on me even more is that you have the facility…your newspaper..to express Gods view …as Christian Science teaches …of expressing peace and tolerance for dialling down intolerance.
This being ‘out there’ for the general public to read. Wonderful!
We love because He first loved us❣️
How precious we can all be part of a caring and understanding world..I can remember years back when it was me getting annoyed at other drivers..
The change came when I took the lead to be more understanding..
For example: When someone would cut in front of me I would just say to myself “They must be in a hurry.”
Feeling more understanding of others has made me feel others are more patient with me.
instead of reinforcing anger with more anger, send thoughts of love which will diffuse anger. well said Evan Really love can do wonders. I have experienced it many times in my life when I saw the person as reflection of Love & not a reaction. Our leader has written “Clad in panoply of Love, no human hatred can reach you.” Thanks Evan for sharing your article
Beautiful accounting of why not responding with the same energy given is so powerful in one’s own life. Evil can scream and shout but what it can’t do is find peace of mind. Until at least, it surrenders its evil way to that peace of mind.
I recall being annoyed when a driver cut Infront of me. As I followed the car it turned into the church car park and my annoyance melted away, I recognised the driver. He jumped out and apologized profusely saying he was in the wrong. I of course said, that’s ok, then wondered why it was ok was it just because I knew him? Lesson learnt…all are the child of God all the time and I need to know it.
This is a great article and the ideas expressed can be applied to any anger type issues. I heard someone say once – Don’t let anybody rent space in your head! I found that quite funny, but profound at the same time 🙂 So glad your local paper is willing to print your healing ideas!
I was driving a 40 minute trip to a job I had teaching teachers how to teach teachers through intensive phonics in a high need school in a town where most of the students were on subsidized lunches. I felt the need that morning to pray specifically about God being in control, Love governing and good’s supremacy. Just basic spiritual truths about the day.
As I neared an intersection a few blocks from the school, I saw the lead car hadn’t moved when the light turned green. Something seemed wrong with the car. It was the coldest morning of the year, near zero. The car behind that car in front of me sat on their horn. The driver in the front car rolled down her window. I’m going to hear probably some of the worst language I’ve ever heard I thought. That came true. The driver that had honked swerved angrily around the lead car.
I pulled up and got out of my car and asked the driver of the stalled car if there was anything I could do to help. I was surprised to see one of the students from the first grade in the car. Her mother was driving her to school. I explained I was a teacher there, called the student by name and offered to drive her so she would get there earlier. Her mother said she would call her cousin to come help with the car. But she thanked me and said for the first time she was proud of living in that town with someone willing to help out. The little girl looked somber, said nothing at all and didn’t acknowledge me.
When I got to the daughter’s class after working in other classrooms, and stood in front of the class, the girl from the car unexpectedly got out of her seat, came up and threw her arms around my waist hugging me tightly, saying softly, “I saw you this morning.” The teacher was strict in that class in a good way, and usually didn’t allow students to get out of their seats without permission. It took courage on the student’s part to come up to the front of the class to do that. The teacher just smiled and said nothing. “I saw you, too, honey,” and hugged her back. We just hugged for awhile until she was ready to return to her seat. That afternoon I saw her mother’s car in line for pick-up. She rolled down her window and waved wildly and enthusiastically at my car as I left. I waved back, smiling about the good that happened that day.
Lovely experience, thanks for your caring response, and for sharing it.
Thank you, Bud. There were a lot of heart-felt moments working there.
Years ago I was myself in a situation where a driver did something obviously wrong and very dangerous.I got so upset I followed the driver in the main highway.
When the car exits for a smaller road I followed it for few miles , and at one intersection open my passenger window and tell how wrong it was, without using profanities
But expressing my frustrations.later I recognized it was the animal magnetism directing me , wanted this driver to apologize to me. So, at that time even was a Christian Science student, thinking I’m thinking spirituality and nothing can interrupt my well being . Wrong,!this situation thought me that each day it is a must I have to do my prayer of protection, for me and everyone , ( like in Eddy’s Manuel)
CS is definitely a spiritual tool if I’m constantly aware and put it in practice.
Thank you Even to bring this topic ;,you were able to choose to let the bad vibe wave fade away and bring back quickly your eternal peace with the Spirit.
What a helpful article you shared with your/and our community, Evan.
Thank you!
I had written a comment rather late in the day the other day.. a chuckle, but sort of
true, so will repeat, as it applies here: “Patience is something you admire in the driver
behind you, but not so much with the one ahead”.
It seems drivers here have been becoming more aggressive (which mortal mind also
sometimes Tries to do, If we let it). Mind altering props are now legal in this state which
probably doesn’t help with the issue, either)..I was tailgated recently, going the speed
limit and the driver had been passing without using his blinker, recklessly. He kept
following me and I had divine guidance to rather than turn into my driveway – go around
several inside roads, where he finally went on his way and I came back home with Love
in tow, which had been with me the entire time.
I had a friend who used to pride herself in driving like she “was playing a video game”. I
always would pray before riding with her, if we took her car, to see ourselves being safe
as well as other drivers, passengers and pedestrians (that she would take chances with).
As with others, she parrted ways over the pandemic, where she looked down upon anyone
with a different stance than hers, but that is okay – Love endure anyway… “Love meeting
no response but still remaining Love” ( S&H pg 586:24).
. Driver in a Back is the angel but the one in front! Lol
Thank you Evan for this article and for sharing with us how Divine Mind always works once we are in tune with Truth’s wisdom. I am grateful for knowing that you have access to an appreciative news media.. It’s such a blessing to share SpiritViews input of others which enriches us all.
Great article Evan. Thank you so much for sharing it. I have printed it out and will be sure to use it’s loving thoughts when road rage strikes as it so often does now.
It’s evident that we have all experienced something of the sort as we drive along. I too, am really grateful that you get to share your articles in your local newspaper, thereby informing a wider community of beautiful thought and behavior.
I want to recount a little experience I had. I was backing out of a diagonal parking space in a quiet area of town, when a car behind me.(which I wasn’t able to see when backing up) blasted her horn and waved those bad gestures. Because of the location, I stopped my car. I got out and walked to her window, which surprised her. I asked her if she would behave that way towards her grandmother. She was a young woman, and I spoke as kindly as I could, in a gentle voice, and smiled at her. Then I went back and got in my car and drove away. By that time, there were several cars behind her and they saw this exchange. I just felt better to mediately let go of that impulse to be angry and return. And so many times as we’re driving along, I recognize that people are carrying their own burdens. We need to be loving and understanding.
Thank you Evan and all of our wonderful SpiritView family I cherish these conversations we have.
I had a very good friend, a student of Christian Science . She was quite elderly, very short and had a wonderful sense of “street smarts”. One day she stopped at an intersection and her car engine stalled and no matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t get it started. Now traffic had backed up and the man in the car behind her started laying on his horn. This went on for some time. Finally she got out of her car and calmly walked back to the car behind her and motioned for the horn honker to roll down his window and she said, “if you… will go and try to start my car for me, I will toot your horn for you”, The man was completely taken aback, laughed, got out of his.car and tried to start hers. He.turned the key a couple of times and the car started right up. He just scratched his head, they both laughed. She thanked him, shook his hand and they both drove away.
LOL! Good one, Jim! Very clever thinking and it worked on the little lady’s part.
She stopped impatience and evil in it’s tracks.
Thank you for the smile. : )
Thank you Evan. Sure your community must be enjoying the good you share with them, in their local newspaper. I love all the contributions. There is a lot of patience expressed in their experiences.
As for me , this statement always come to thought when the unusual happens on the high way. I will always say. God take control as you always do. This makes me calm and peaceful.
Thank you so much for this article, Evan. I too, appreciate that your newspaper is willing to print your wonderfully helpful articles for the public. I thank all the SpiritView contributors for these many proofs of God’s care (and sense of humor) as we deal with daily challenges. We are blessed to have and know a God that is all-loving, and that Love is patient, kind, omnipotent, omnipresent and is to be expressed by His children (us and all). AND that Love conquers all. I am grateful.
Thank you
Crying tears of joy and laughing out loud
for all these stories of how they handled the road rage through their understanding of Christian Science prayer.
Thank you so much everyone.
Thank you Evan, you posted it also in Facebook where I just got it.
Today I am much more calm and tolerant in my driving than decades ago, and in some cases where it is needed I leave my right of way to others for safety reasons. Before I go out for driving to supermarkets or shopping elsewhere, I pray that God is on my driver`s seat, as He knows the best way to go. I also pray: “On my whole journey God`s safe and leading Love is going with us all”. In that prayer I include the whole traffic and all the passengers in the streets. All is included in the everpresence of our all loving God!
Thank you God for Christian Science – the Science of the healing divine Love!
Am very very grateful for this healing Blog full of wonderful inspirations and Love!
Just ad 2 suitable Bible Verses from Matthew 5, from the Beautitudes”
5: blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
9: blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God!
I try to be considerate to other drivers, too, Uta, and if they are becoming antsy, especially
on some of the windy roads, where I am familiar with the turns, but they may not be, where
they can not pass, I will pull over at a safe spot to let them go as fast as they want. I recall
seeing a bumper sticker that used to be, saying … “God is my Co-Pilot”.
That is a very comforting thought.
Thank you for including the Beatitudes/ … very appropriate from Matt 5/
In reflecting more on this topic and before reading,
all of these loving thoughts are very calming. Thank you. As I just turned my p age is to… 5
71 :15-21 in Mrs. Eddy’s S & H, which applies to road rage or anything, really… She writes,
“At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. Know thyself, and God
will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love,
human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in
the one divinity”.
Wonderful, Carol! Yes, that is a very good passage by MBE , and not only for today’s topic of SV! Thank you for this helpful SH Passage!
thank you Carol for these precious lines ( Eddy)
And to all , pouring and bringing fresh inspiration. .
Thank you, Evan and all, for your wonderful comments and stories. Yes, I think everyone who drives recognizes the suggestion for “road rage” in others–and occasionally in oneself! This can certainly be diminished and healed as we go forward with love, compassion, and patience in our hearts. The area where I live has become seriously congested over the past decade or so, and the temptation to be impatient with others has increased exponentially! This is a very important post, Evan! We can all use the reminder to drive “prayerfully” as we go forward each day.
Much gratitude!!