First, I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Belated Christmas! Today, the roads were jam-packed with cars all going to and from the nearby malls that were holding after-Christmas sales. I was in the car with my parents and although I wasn’t driving, I was growing impatient as I could see the mall, but our car couldn’t get any closer due to the heavy traffic.
Our car approached a turn where we had the right of way and had to go straight. However, my dad, who was driving, signaled, out of common courtesy (and maybe even in the Christmas spirit of giving), to allow one of the cars that were waiting at the traffic signal to make a left turn so as to lighten the load of traffic. After the car that my dad had signaled to had turned, another car followed immediately behind it before our car could go straight.
I have to admit that had I have been the driver, I would have pushed down on the horn with much frustration at the reckless driver. My dad, however, did no such thing. He let him pass and went on. Annoyed at my dad’s reaction to the driver’s dangerous turn, I furiously asked my dad, ‘Why didn’t you honk at him!? He completely deserved it!’
My dad half-jokingly replied ‘Ahimsa, Anish.’
I began thinking about the situation and replaying it in my mind. The reckless driver knew what he or she was doing, but continued to do so. Knowing that what he or she was doing was wrong, the reckless driver should expect a decently long honk after making such a dangerous turn. By honking at the reckless driver, the reckless driver might be unaffected and would continue on, possibly even making the same dangerous turns yet again.
I tried to imagine what the reckless driver would be thinking after not hearing the honk that he or she was expecting. One possibility is that the reckless driver might just consider himself or herself lucky and continue on without thinking about it. Another possibility is that by not getting the honk that he was expecting, the driver might be surprised with my dad’s reaction of ‘non-violence’, which may have had a potentially positive and lasting impression on the reckless driver.
Perhaps I am overthinking this situation and/or being a bit too impractical about the reckless driver. If anything, this situation got me thinking enough to write a post about it! 
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