The sky was overcast and promised rain with colder temperatures. Abe rubbed his gnarled knuckles as he tried to get some of the arthritic pain to subside. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'by noon I should be able to work on my tractor, but first I need a few supplies.' He got into his car and headed for town. After a few hours, Abe's hands were better, but some measure of pain was a constant companion.
He had finished shopping and was heading for the main highway and home when he approached a blinking yellow traffic light, indicating access to turning if no cars approached. He barely saw the turn and realized he needed to be in a different lane, so quickly thumbed his turn indicator and hastily switched lanes in front of a pickup truck that was also turning.
The driver in the truck, a younger man, was not prepared for someone to turn in front of him. His adrenaline soared as he startled with fear that he could have hit the car, or the car him. The fear turned immediately into anger. 'How dare that driver put us in jeopardy?' 'Did he do that on purpose?' And the anger turned into road rage. He honked his horn repeatedly, made his turn and pulled up beside Abe, giving him an unfriendly hand gesture. The driver then swerved into Abe's land and back again while still honking his horn to drive the point home!
Abe continued on his route, thinking about his actions and the angry actions of the other driver. He could have honked as well and returned the gesture, but chose to ignore the man.
Discussion: What would you have done? Have you ever caused someone's fear or anger? Have you ever been the recipient of road rage? What would happen if you simply smile, make a 'praying hands' gesture and wish the other person well? What benefit is there in making reciprocal unfriendly gestures?