Big mistake...
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This long lament is a result of my altercation with a low life scum early in the morning - A taxi driver (KA02-AC1000).
Flash Back:
08:57 AM. I was at the Mahatma Gandhi Circle waiting for the signal to turn green to enter Lavelle Road. As soon as the signal turns green, this scum bag started to turn right from the left most lane, trying to take me along with him... As outspoken am I, that I made some animated gestures at him. [Hindsight: Should not have offended him. But how can people change] He changed his mind, chased me all the way to Lavalle Road junction with Vittal Mallya road and Boxed me into a corner... shook me up and vented his anger. I must sheepishly say, he vented his anger physically too... whilst I was all the way trying to make my way through the path of least resistance. By now I had realized my folly (if you can term what i did as a folly) and wanted to get out of it with out getting any more mud on myself.
What should I make of this incident ??
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I guess the reason I made those gestures to him was because of my confidence in his driving abilities that in spite of starting from the left he would be successful in going to the right. I also thought that if he is such a hurry to go to the right, he will have no time to return my compliments (in the way he did). It was a perfect nothing-to-lose situation, and I thought my outburst may prevent him from doing such things again. I was wrong and a lesson well learnt. [If my mom heard, this she would say "I told you so"]
Lesson: Scoundrels can take time out of their way not to help people but to hurt them. Never underestimate the urge that rogues have to cause harm.
Lesson: There are right people at right place to teach these people the correct lessons. (What a joke?). But certainly, with the limited powers that I have, I was(am) not the right person.
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I must say I handled the second part well, in spite of coming under some verbal and some physical assault. By the two minutes of duration between my antics at MG road and the driver boxing me at Lavalle Road, my adrenaline had subsided and I could think. Words are my strength, not muscles. Unfortunately, words are not what a driver filled with rage can understand. Suddenly, the situation, which I thought was nothing-to-lose had become nothing-to-gain. The more I tried to reason, I realized that he was not open for reason any way. Fortunately his call for duty finally got better of his rage and he left. I noted down his number (for documentation purpose only). I felt as if a bomb had been just then diffused. Even though the car driver had his way and was vociferous all the time, I felt I was in control of the situation since I did not say a word to fuel his anger. I even feel, the reason he left was that he did see have fear or anger in me to feed on. I shall not imagine what would happened if I had argued back reacting to his anger with some of my own.
Lesson: Emotional Isolation is best you can do when you are pushed to the wall. But it is makes the whole day rather unpleasant to be on the receiving end.
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A diagnosis of the situation will reveal what really went wrong? You will be surprised to know that the first words from the car-driver was "Whether I know driving ?". He was hell bent on taking me to a Police Station (God know why? I am sure he did not.) Well, his confidence came from the nexus his owner (a typical travels owner) would have with the police. He also would have rightly guessed that a common man in India would never want to deal with the police, irrespective of what is just or unjust. Today I realized, in spite of wishing to be a heroic crusader of the truth, I am still a common man. Isn't it a hopeless that a common man feels that approaching Police either leads to no-where or leads to needless head-ache. It is not the first time that some body has threatened to go the police to hide their own unruliness. A year ago, it was the case of a Auto-rickshaw driver demanding extra money and me denying it leading to his threats. There again, I conceded to his loud arguments to salvage myself from a dirty brawl. This is a pattern.
From hind sight, all this could be avoided if I did not show any gestures to that driver. I started an argument that I never believed could have been driven to any meaningful conclusion. I am not a person who can go the distance to see some worthless shit get punished by law. After today, I am not sure I can do the other way [going a distance to see that a priceless gem is not harassed by law] even though I wish one day to muster up such courage.
Lesson: If you are not sure how an argument ends, Don't start one.
I know most of you if you have read till now must be rolling in laughter at my plight... Well, I reacted the same way many times before today. There will be others, who would feel that I became too chicken when the car-driver got offensive. There will be others who feel Kota deserved it... Some may feel that this was bound to happen.. sooner or later... But an intelligent one (unlike me) learns from others mistakes. I hope you people learn from mine.
Biggest Lesson of all : Mind your own business.
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