Walking
back with my family after a joyful hour of carols the other evening –
especially when the kids sang ‘Silent Night’ and the Guildhall clock
struck seven and drowned out the song! We entered the very busy car
park and heard a lot of shouting as we went back to our car. A man was
standing in front of a car and he was shouting at the lady driver in a
very aggressive and intimidating way saying he had every right to stand
there, and she was leaning out her window and shouting back, for him to
get out of the way. She edged forward and this made him worse and led to
him saying that she had committed a criminal offence.
It was pretty
extreme, and there were kids in the back of her car and the man had his
wife looking very worried standing outside their car. As we went by, I
paused momentarily and asked who I took
to be the man’s wife, what was going on. Things were clearly set to
continue and I had the idea that if only the lady in the ‘offending’ car
would just sit down, lock her doors and windows, everything would be
alright, because he would calm down and let it go. Anyway, I thought
better of getting involved, and we returned to our car and went on our
way leaving them to who knows what?
Where is the Mindfulness in this?
Well I wish I had been more Mindful and quick thinking enough to say
what I thought might help, but on the other hand, perhaps by not getting
involved I preventing other stuff from happening. I suppose the thing
is, that none of it needed to happen if the two people had been Mindful
of what was likely to unfold if they continued behaving the way they
did. It only takes one person being Mindful for much heat to vanish from
a situation. That’s why being Mindful in everyday life is so important,
because by our own awareness and choice of behaviours in tricky
situations, we can make things worse or let stress go bit by bit so it
doesn’t build up to something like this. It is also amazing to think how
much impact a thing like this has on so many people too; those
involved, bystanders, recounters….. What do you think?
