Life's Direction - Who's Responsibility?

Right or left? Stop or go ahead? Beat the red lights or follow the traffic rules? Overtake or be overtaken? Slow down or speed up? Employ the brakes when going downhill or make use of low gears to slowly traverse down to lowland? Questions after questions arise as we trudge on the daily grind of what we call LIFE.

While there are rules that have been created to guide us in making the above decisions, it is ultimately up to ourselves to decide for ourselves as only we are responsible for ourselves. Right or left? Well, it depends on where we're heading. If we had turned right when it should've been left, it's not really a big problem as we can still slow down and make the appropriate correction to head towards the correct direction by making a U-turn.

Precious time will be lost, especially if we're attending an interview or meeting a client for discussions. That's without question. However, rather than continue to head towards the wronged direction, it's wiser to make the U-turn and then try to make up on lost time. It is futile to continue to head in the wrong direction in the hope that it will somehow lead to the correct path. And only you, the one behind the driver's wheel can make that decision to correct yourself. There's no one to honk at you to tell you that you took the wrong path, for only you know the true path towards where you're heading.

To overtake or be overtaken? What are the stakes here? If you encounter a slow vehicle ahead, you can make the decision to activate the indicator lights and proceed to overtake the vehicle, provided that there's no oncoming traffic to hinder your safe cutting in front of the slow vehicle. It's your choice to overtake. Likewise, it is also your choice to let yourself be overtaken. If you're already driving at the maximum legal speed limit, allow other impatient drivers to overtake you. Again, activate the indicator lights and move to the left. There's no harm in allowing this. Do not let ego or pride prevent you from making a wise decision to be overtaken.

In LIFE, it is sometimes wiser to let yourself be overtaken rather than competing with the other party in a meaningless competition that will surely end in tragedy should both cars meet with an accident. In LIFE, we should ask ourselves what's the hurry to get to the destination. Whether slow or fast, we're going to reach it anyway, right? Provided that there's nothing to end that path abruptly. But we wouldn't know, won't we? If we decide to overtake, make sure that there's no obstacle ahead. Always ensure that no one is injured or hurt if we decide to overtake. Likewise, it is our responsibility to allow those who overtake, a safe passage too. Slow down instead of speeding up and allow that driver to cut in safely in front of you. It is the wisest and more appropriate thing to do since we're sharing a common road.

When we're heading down a hill, do you have a bad habit of relying too much on the brakes to slow down your vehicle before taking the corner? Do you realise that if the hydraulic fluid overheats due to constant use of the brakes, the brakes may fail to work as the fluid boils? Can you then, slow down the vehicle still? At this time, it is better to stop the vehicle and let the fluid cool down a little before proceeding with the journey. Well, only you can decide whether to use the brakes constantly or employ the low gears in tackling the tricky downhill situation.

If you're too negative in your view of life and its challenges or in your workplace, you're actually applying brakes to your progress in both your LIFE and employment career. Think of it - what advantage do you get when you're obstinately negative? There's more disadvantages than advantages to this poor outlook in LIFE. On the contrary, if you employ the gears to slow down the vehicle, it is akin to making the appropriate decision to either slow down or step back momentarily to view the problem on a macro level and then tackling the problem in the appropriate manner. This way, you won't be 'overheated' with your problem but instead, you would be in a better position to overcome the challenges faced. Having a positive outlook in LIFE is essential to ensuring that you're capable to face the onslaughts of living through this challenging LIFE.

All being said, you have to make many, many decisions in LIFE. People around you can either give you the appropriate nudge to get you back on the right path if you decide to stray, or they can also lead you astray at the same time. The choice of making the right decision lies with you and only you alone. So, make sure that you equip yourself with the knowledge on what's right or wrong and continue to built on your own values as you progress. Do not trust others too easily, but don't distrust others extremely at the same time. We were given this gift of Thought, so make full use of it and may it steer you in the right direction. Carpe diem!