One of the times that I get the angriest is when I have to leave directly from work to go to church. I drive down I-65 toward Brentwood, and on the way, there is a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane where you are supposed to have more than one person in the vehicle. What makes me angry is watching cars that only one person take advantage of a lane they aren't supposed to.
What makes me incredibly satisfied is seeing them pulled over (rarely) by a cop for doing exactly that. Now I was thinking the other day, "Why does that make me so angry?" And as I was thinking, I realized that what made me so angry was that I wished I could be doing that, but my "morals" (for lack of a better term) prevent me from doing something that I really wish I could do too.
It made me think about how I try to conduct my life as a follower of Jesus and my motivations for doing so. Do I not cheat and lie and steal and do things like that because I want to live as a follower of Jesus, or do I not do those things because that's how a Christian is supposed to act, even though I really want to act like that? And to be honest, a lot of times it's a toss up. In some ways, I feel like this transformation into the likeness of Christ is such a long process that I get impatient, especially when I feel like I've been at it for so long.
What I hope is that someday these desires to do something wrong will pass. That I won't wish I could be in the HOV lane with just one person and that I'll accept that life in Christ is the ultimate fulfillment I could hope for.
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6 comments:
I drive in the HOV lane occasionally... not like all the way to my destination, but definitely if someone is going slow in the lane next to the HOV.
I don't feel guilt about it though, HOV lanes make things more dangerous because you can use them any time but the two hours in the morning or afternoon. Plus, the only reason they are designated as HOV is because the state got government funding to build an extra lane, but the Fed made them make that extra lane HOV, because supposedly it encourages carpooling. I don't think it really does that. I think it causes more accidents.
Its just like intersections where cameras are put up to catch people running red lights. Those cameras actually make the intersections more dangerous because people are more concerned with not getting a ticket than they are with being safe. Sometimes the less dangerous thing is to go through the intersection rather than slam on your brakes.
BTW, I didn't just make up the thing about the traffic cameras, I actually read it in the paper.
It's ok. We forgive you Justin. I have to admit I hate the HOV lane concept myself. But it is the least of my gripes with the bad drivers in Nashville. I agree about the red light thing. I also think one of the worst causes of accidents is when people are so "kind" and let someone cut through four lanes of traffic. You just hope every on coming car sees them.
Justin, I think you would be interested in the story I heard on NPR the other day driving home (yes, I've become a real adult now listening to "Marketplace" on the way home).
Anyway, they did a story on Minneapolis (I think) where they took the true form of capitalism and supply and demand for their road congestion. They have people sign up to put a transponder in their cars, and during rush hour, if they want to drive in the "fast lane" they are charged a fee. That fee rises and falls depending upon the amount of congestion there is. So basically, if you really want to go faster and avoid congestion, you are willing to pay for it. One guy said he'd pay like $5.00 on the commute home. They've done studies and it has actually improved overall drive times for everyone.
I found the link http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6618320
December 15 is also the first day of Hanukkah. I dedicated my blog to that.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
when you can, get a buddy and drive really slow on the hov lane.
I've heard of drivers using a blow-up passenger so they won't be pulled over...
Justin, please post the sources for your contention that the HOV lanes and traffic light cameras increase accidents. In the case of traffic lights I've heard nothing but dramatic statistics to the contrary. I'm still against them because I think they violate the Sixth Amendment, but unless people are doing donuts across the intersection to keep the camera from seeing their plates then I'm not sure how they make things more dangerous. Ditto with the HOV lanes, except for the rule breakers who are darting in and out of them to avoid getting a ticket.
As for whether they encourage carpooling, all I can say is that if they don't, Nashville's congestion must not be that bad yet. They certainly get a workout in DC. Of course, it helps that there's one entire interstate that's HOV, and one that has dedicated lanes.
Are hybrid drivers allowed to go solo in the HOV lanes in Tennessee? Maybe not all of those people you see are breaking the rules--in Virginia and a lot of other states the hybrid drivers get a pass. Which is pretty ironic, when you think about it--let's take the cars that do the least environmental damage and get them off the road as quickly as possible. Maybe they should let people who are too poor to upgrade their gas guzzling smog monsters use the HOV instead....
Kenneth
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