Safety Features

One of the great things about automobiles today are the safety features. Never have they been better and more sophisticated than they are today. Approximately 50 years ago, when seat beats were first becoming a fixed part of cars and trucks, I bet many folks figured they would be the be-all of making vehicles as safe as possible. If those same people could have looked into the future to where we are today when it comes auto safety, they would have been blown away. I confess, as a person of today, even I look at the current array of safety features and am blown away.  When it comes to auto safety, I am convinced we are living in the best of times.

One particular feature that I like is the warning cars give the driver when he or she is beginning to either drift into another lane or off the road itself. "Beep. Beep. Beep." When the car makes that sound it is not saying the person behind the wheel is a bad driver. Rather, it is simply making it known that the driver is off-course and needs to correct the path that they are on. I am particularly impressed with this safety feature as I think it is one that all of us could emulate or match. All of us at times get off course for all kinds of reasons. This is especially true in our interactions with others. Disagreements, by definition, signify a path that needs correcting or, at the very least, some sort of adjusting.

Often times, when we disagree with another our feelings get hurt. Name calling occurs. Mean things are said. There is negative judgment toward the other. The result is the persons in-conflict lose sight of the mutual goal they share: enjoying a happy and fulfilling relationship. They need correcting. At those times, they need that annoying yet helpful sound of "beep, beep, beep." Such a "feature" does not pass judgment. Instead, it simply communicates that the two are off-track. Even better, it points out they are moving away from the overriding goal they share: happiness. Once that correction is made, then they are in a much stronger position to deal with their disagreement.