Handling the stick..

Today, I have failed in one of my important careers in life - driving. (yes, literally driving no pun intended) I'm no race driver nor your manila's mang-jimmy-para-na-po-driver. I'm simply a college student with a license who, like a majority of drivers in the philippines, has never had a formal degree or education in driving.

I've always viewed driving as an exercise of character. It depicts your willingness to drive around while keeping everyone's lives safe (pedestrians, fellow drivers, and of course your passenger). Driving takes a lot of skill, experience, and insight. Giving that pedal a go would imply reaching your destinations alive. If one had bad character, he is unfit for driving simply 'coz it places everyone's lives at stake.

I've made this saying about driving in the Philippines: "Most filpino drivers aren't blessed with skill, rather they are gifted with savegery." Apparently today (and probably on other days as well), I've gotten in touch with my savage side. It's true they say filipino drivers are skilled wherever you put them (a friend of mine who drove for navy officers in the United States was given complimented of this)..but at times, you just can't ignore our culture of beating the red light, making u-turns from the outmost lanes, switching 2-3 lanes all at once, etc..

So today, I was bent for re-examining certain points I need to work on about driving:

1) Lane-consistency - although switching lanes may get you to your destination faster, excessive lane-switching not only exposes your vehicle to having a blind position from your side mirror, it also tends to annoy your fellow drivers before you. - "putsa, di makapagdesisyun tong kotse na to ah"

2) Acceleration-operations - there are speed limits in this country, although no one really watches out for them. Apparently accelerating too quickly may get you into an accident simply because you're moving faster than your reflexes.. aside from this, it's bad for the environment. Imagine that 33 pesos per liter gas you're burning faster.

3) Punctuality - this one isn't skill-oriented but more of efficient scheduling of time. If you had waken up earlier, you'd probably won't be rushing and driving mad on the road. Aside from that, getting to places and meeting up on time is a practice of the partitioning of time, as Michel Foucault (writer of the book, Discipline and Punish) would have said it

Lastly, what's at stake here is everyone's lives - Not only your life, but everyone elses. Driving is therefore an activity that lends to achieving the common good.

After such reflection I've figured that for me: "Driving is about keeping your passengers happy, healthy... and sane." Hehehe... if I ever get a perfect score on my driving, I'll start serving my passengers cool drinks and pika-pika on a platter :)