This one really hit home for me today because I am the WORST about saying nasty things about other drivers in the car with my kids!!! If someone cuts me off or whatever…..my infamous reaction is always “YOU FREAKIN’ JERK!” And sadly I do say it loud so my girls hear it! Maybe someone knew I needed this little Gem today. LOL
Our Actions Determine Our Character
“In today’s fast-paced world there seems to be a greater tendency for people to act aggressively toward each other. Some are quick to take offense and respond angrily to real or imagined affronts, and we’ve all experienced or heard reports of road rage or other examples of rude, insensitive behavior.
“Unfortunately, some of this spills over into our homes, creating friction and tension among family members.
“It may seem natural to react to a situation by giving back what is given to us. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Reflecting on his horrendous wartime experiences, Viktor Frankl recalled: ‘We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way’ (Man’s Search for Meaning [1985], 86).”
Topics: character, contention
( Elder Wayne S. Peterson, “Our Actions Determine Our Character,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 83)
January 9th, 2006
January 9th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Erica Says:
That is so true! Although I haven’t been driving alone long enough to be an impatient driver (although Shanna I am sure the other day I heard you call me a freakin’ something or other on the freeway LOL). I know how important it is to impart character into my girls, the fruits of the spirit.
January 9th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Tammi Says:
WOW, I am crying! That really is a GEM!
January 9th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
Janet Says:
I was just discussing this with someone yesterday weather it is driving, or in the grocery line. It can only start with me. They can’t cut you off if you were willing to let them in all along. Don’t get me wrong I’m not always in the mood for rude people.But if your ready for it and allow them in. The situation is different.