Anarchy in the Streets

Why would a University professor (not me), having just paid bus fare and ridden half-way to his home, insist that his wife and 5 children (ages 18-8) hop off the bus at about 9 PMIn the middle of a busy intersection full of autos, to walk 1.5 miles home over a treacherous path?

Strange decision, eh?

He was forced to do it, because of traffic-rule anarchy.  In this particular Asian country, for some reason, people get in a great hurry when they climb in their sedan, coupe, lorry, or motorcycle.  When their eastbound two lanes of traffic seems a bit too slow, they notice the westbound two lanes are totally clear.  Why not pull out into the westbound lane and pass a few fellow eastbounders?   

This must work on occasion, but on other occasions, such as last night, the fellow eastbounders wouldn’t let the passer back into the eastbound lane.  Soon a westbound pair of vehicles impeded the eastbounder, and someone had to stop.  Then another eastbounder, ever eager, moves into the now partially blocked westbound lane to pass the first eastbounder and seals it completely.  Now both  westbound lanes are filled with eastbounders.  

Then 3 huge buses enter the intersection with the prof’s bus wanting to turn westward into the lanes filled with eastbounders.  Hence the need to hike.

I don’t know how many hours it took the traffic cops to untangle that mess.   In all my travels, including Latin America and China, I have never seen more “relaxed” driving.  Apparently the local deterrent to traffic violations doesn’t deter much.

So, to the surprise of many, rules are good.  Rules guide traffic. Rules make movement possible, and when rules disappear, gridlock results.  Of course personal consideration, looking out for the interests of others (Phil 2:4),  would obviate the need for rules; hence the need for rules ;)>.

We Christians chafe at rules.  It is by “grace we are saved”, and there is no doubt about that, but G^d went to some trouble to give us some guidelines for living.  Bear in mind that the New Testament contains more commandments than the Old Testament, so we can’t argue that the rules apply only in the past.

If G^d spoke the cosmos into existence, and created us, then perhaps when he give us some rules to live by, we ought to try to follow them… or had you rather be gridlocked?