Give me a 2nd chance...

Today, as I was driving home late at night, I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. I stopped my car at a junction, waiting to turn right.

There was this car in front of me. When it was time for us to turn right and go, the car in front didn't move at all. At first, I thought the driver didn't know that he can go. Hence I flashed (or highbeamed) him once to get his attention.

Now, that didn't work. I became a bit irritated. I flashed him a few more times, and when there's still no response, I sounded my car-horn a few times. It became clear that the driver made a mistake. He wanted to go straight, but he stopped at the lane that only allows right-turning.

I was thinking that even if he did make a mistake, he should still turn right. That's the traffic rules, in a sense. I flashed and horned him a few more times, hoping that he would co-operate.

To my horror, instead of turning right, the car in front went straight ahead when it was still red light (to go straight)!! The driver actually broke the law. After that, I quickly turn my car to the right and went home.

Upon relfection, I realized that I was pressurizing the driver to either turn right (which is what he didn't want) or go straight ahead. I thought the driver wouldn't break the law even if I flashed and horned him. I was wrong. He actually did. I could have indirectly caused an accident.

Couldn't I just be patient and wait for the next time the traffic light turns green for me to turn right again? Perhaps the driver in front wasn't familiar with the roads in that area, and hence made that mistake. I myself do make many horrendous mistakes when I'm in unfamiliar territory. Perhaps, I can just give him a second chance.

In life, too often than not, we don't give people chance to explain. We judged and condemmed far too fast. And that might cause them to do something rash and unexpected. Today's incident taught us that we need to give others a second chance. Furthermore, sometimes we ourselves can be the one who needs that second chance.

Would you give another person a second chance?