GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Road Rage- you know what it is; cars weaving in and out, people in a huge hurry, tailgaters trying to practically run you off the road. Most of us have experienced these things at some point in our automobile travels. Many of us have either been the victim of one of these incidents, or shamefully, the aggressor of one.. (Hard to admit, but true for some!) The Gorilla admits he has been on both sides (hey nobody’s perfect), but since maturing, he has mostly been the victim of several road rage incidents himself.

Well, this weekend, road rage was all too evident, as people drove from place to place- most likely shopping-and some pulled out all the “stops” so to speak, while doing so. The Gorilla himself was practically run off the highway as someone cut into his lane causing him to swerve into the other lane, which in turn, caused that guy to almost hit someone else! Meanwhile, the guy whose fault it actually was, had the nerve to stick his middle finger out and curse at the Gorilla as he pulled along side. What was a Gorilla to do? The instinct of course, was to do it right back to him (and a much younger Gorilla would have done just that!), but what does that solve? Absolutely nothing, but it sure makes you feel a little less like a chump (or in this case a “chimp”). In the end, though, the aggressor still thinks he’s right and your wrong, and even if that’s not the case, the guy probably feels justified because he actually believes that everyone else is an idiot and not him!

No matter how you shake it, road rage is becoming a huge problem all over the globe. Case in point; in Aspen, Colorado, highway 82 is said to be the highway in that state with the most road rage incidents. Just last month there were over 2,000 calls from drivers reporting incidents of road rage on that highway alone! And the Gorilla read in news out of Texas this morning, that a 15 year old boy was shot and killed by another driver, who said the boy cut him off in traffic, which then led to an argument in which both men brandished guns. Yes, it’s true. Angry drivers are on the rise, but why, exactly?

Behaviorists have done extensive research on the subject and found that in studies of drivers, who were reportedly involved in road rage incidents, the same ”symptoms” were common in all the drivers involved; rapid heart rate, sweaty palms, increased anxiety and fear. But why? In the old days, people simply “turned the other cheek” to these incidents on the road (perhaps because there simply was not the amount of traffic?). That is not the case today. Researchers concluded that ”daily stresses of everyday life” were to blame, mostly. Well, that may be true, but the Gorilla has another theory to go along with these conclusions. It’s common sense to note that people these days are used to such instant gratification, that perhaps they have simply run out of patience! Hey, let’s face it….when people want something they can get it fairly quick. Gone are the days of waiting for a letter in the mail- there’s email! Gone are the days of waiting until your sweetie comes home to hear about his/her day- there are cell phones! Gone are the days of simply going to the library to get information- just log on to your computer and you get it NOW! It’s really no wonder that very few people have any patience any longer- after all why should we?

So, is the Gorilla suggesting that this ”impatience” is possibly being manifested on the road through  “road rage”? Why of course he is! After all, who wants to “wait” for the driver in front of you, to the side of you, or behind you to do anything but what YOU want, right then and there? One never has to wait for anything else these days, and unfortunately, the side platter to impatience is discourteousness. The Gorilla urges you to think about this one: When was the last time you were impatient? Were you courteous as a result of that impatience or were you rude? Most people would admit that when they get impatient they are also, in turn, rude. Thus, proving that patience, my friends, most assuredly is a virtue. Be safe and drive patiently, and yes, courteously. Down with the road rage!