Now the red car had a couple of different options in how
to react to the situation. They could
have laid on the horn, or flipped the truck the bird, but they didn’t. They simply turned on their windshield wipers
and got their windshield washed by the washer fluid from the truck. It was a perfect “two for one.” There was so much spray coming over the top
of the truck, the car never even had to use its washer fluid. I had to chuckle.
How would you have reacted?
There are so many scenarios where we can choose how to
react to an action. For example:
·
Someone pulls into a parking spot you were
driving to
·
Someone says something you disagreed with
·
Poor customer service
·
A ref/umpire makes a bad call
·
You disagree with a politician
So many possibilities, I couldn’t begin to mention them
all. Think of something that tends to
get a reaction out of you.
There are three ways to react to something:
1. Hard core, loud and obnoxious, trying to force your
opinion on others
2. Roll with it, discuss things calmly and be respectful
of the other people involved
3. Ignore it, don’t get involved
Of course, if the action happens to involve you directly,
ignoring it is probably not an option.
That leaves you the other two choices.
Will you be loud and obnoxious or calm and respectful? It is a choice.
Knowing that option one will create a (probably) negative
reaction from the other person(s), I tend to default to option two. Discussing things calmly and respectfully
gives the other person the chance to respond to you in the same fashion.
Heated situations can often be diffused by calm and
respectful conversation. If you refuse
to react loud and obnoxious, it makes it difficult for the other people
involved to continue to be loud and obnoxious.
In short, calmer heads can prevail over any
situation. So when someone unexpectedly
sprays washer fluid on your windshield, simply turn on your wipers and enjoy
the clearer view.
