GIVE WAY - AVOID LIFE RAGE!

 

I vividly remember two uncles from my dad's side. Ali & Afzal. By the time my memory started recording - the others had passed on and I cannot remember them. But Ali and Afzal - I remember them vividly because they were around longer whilst I was still a young boy and well into adulthood. And as fate would have it - both Ali and Afzal have also passed on. We are all headed there anyway - so no novelty in this!

Amongst the many superb qualities and talents my uncles had - they were avid amateur musicians. Ali could play the tabla (one of many Indian drums) and Afzal could do the Mouthorgan and any other Indian instruments that he could lay his hands on. Ali and Afzal were also good marksmen with their Air Rifles. They were also very good swimmers and fishermen - a trait they picked from none other than my grandfather - Mr Juma Khan Kabul Khan. They were good with their hands and could fix almost anything that needed fixing - they were handy men! Electrics, Plumbing, Cars, Wood, Metal - name it - they could fix it! They even taught us how to make kites - a skill I remember to date (though Imtiaz is far better at it than I). And since I am mentioning names - may I just complete and stress that their skills and intelligence came from none other than my Grandmother - Sonbai!

But back to my uncles - the one quality they both had was the excellent driving skills. They were good mechanics too - but their driving skill struck me from an early age. They were extremely courteous drivers - they always insisted on GIVING WAY! They also made a point to pass on these skills to all their progeny, nephews and nieces at every opportunity. 

"Let him pass" - would be a common phrase if Ali or Afzal was your co-driver. Even if you had the right of way - they would urge you to give way (that is if you are not endangering anyone behind you or blocking someone else). This habit rubbed on even to our eldest cousin - Anu.

The last time I was in Peterborough, UK - Anu drove me to a local supermarket to buy groceries in his well-kept Mercedes. At every opportunity - he readily gave way - there was no competition! No hurry - to go where anyway? There was no Road Rage, and thus there was no Life Rage!

A lesson well learnt from our late uncles - Ali and Afzal.

So whats the point?

Giving way is a form GIVING. Giving is charty. It is generosity. It is required of those who have, to give to those who are not so well endowed. In the earliest part of the Quran - immediately after the Chapter of Fatiha (our equivalent of the Lord's Prayer) - ALLAH instructs every believer to give from what HE has provided us!

Whether we give way or not - Life goes on. The other driver whom we denied access to the slot in front of us will still eventually get to where he or she is going - maybe a few seconds later. Believe you me - it will not make a difference of minutes - it will be seconds!

The seconds we readily waste away scrolling TikTok and WhatsApp and META etc.

So, it's the larger picture I am looking at. 

My take home on "Giving Way" - is that it is GIVING. Giving in any form is a profound act of generosity. Giving in any form breeds deep sense of responsibility and charity in a person. It is a well-known and proven fact that more one gives - he/she receives multiple times what he/she gives freely. So Give Way 

Avoid road rage but much more so avoid Life Rage at all costs. Most issues in life are not worth getting angry or disappointed over. Many times, we have no control over matters. Only God is in control.

But we can control our reactions and responses to situations. And since we can control our actions - then LET US GIVE WAY!

Let me conclude by saying - giving way is not just a personal act but a collective responsibility that can have profound effects on individuals and communities.