Steering towards progress

When I was about to take my first driving class ... I almost felt like I was attempting to tame a raging bull.But then as I sat on the driving seat,there was this instant feeling of control and responsibility ....while I sat there listening carefully and trying to absorb each word of my instructor like a dry sponge left to float (or sink out of excess absorption :P ) in a sea , I realized there was always room for more. Driving is more than a skill, its a responsibility.The front seat gives you power, an awesome feeling of control and it indirectly means you have other lives at stake(and your discretion :D) besides yours.I loved the feeling of being entrusted the safety of my instructor and my father ...though my father was sweet and sat confidently and showed full faith in me, the instructor was not so trusting and had his own set of clutch and break ( seeing that broke my heart a little ;) but then each man is entitled to looking after his safety :D )

It is when you drive a 4-wheeler you are amazed at the wondrous untapped potential of your brains.You never know its potential till you put it to test.There's the steering wheel,the gear box(with tons of confusing options :P ),the accelerator(the devil always luring you to greater speeds),then there's the break(the inner conscience that helps you stop when you realise you need to ) and the clutch( a divine force directly indirectly affecting the speed and course of your vehicle) and then my personal favorite the 'horn'(sounded frequently but with almost no effect now-a-days because men often act on will rather than acting/doing like they should).

You'd normally expect a big bright "L" to bring compassion,sympathy and cooperation from the seasoned drivers, but they tend to turn sadistic and derive happiness( immense pleasure) by the lowering confidence levels in novices by their honking horns.I always felt (in my younger years ) that I should be allowed a 4-wheel drive based on my height and not my age !! But then it is now that I realize that age gave me experience and maturity to deal with situations and pressures (during driving).One important factor in being able to drive is confidence,that comes out of experience.Being able to smile (and steer) when surrounded by mockery took maturity (and guts :D).I know I am making driving sound all philosophical and big when most of us feel its another mundane (skill) task that everybody "possesses" ,but believe me pondering on it does make it feel all magical ..... I mean look at the amount of concentration and coordination needed to change gears appropriately,and monitor traffic while simultaneously enjoying all the gossip from co-passengers!

I love being in control (partly the reason why I love driving) .It took me almost a year to learn a bicycle (I know that's too slow by all standards,my brother actually learned it in 3 days :P) .But then, all 'good' things have a 'good reason' ;) and the reason (or explanation) for my lack of 'balancing skill' was my ability (I mean tendency) to "abandon" my cycle (ship) as soon as it tilted by an angle of anything near 10degree.So that was the phase of my life when my way of dealing with problems was to run away from it.But then,I learned to trust.I had faith in my father/mother (whoever had enough patience for me on the given day during the 1-year long grueling period) ,and knew I wouldn't fall till they were around.And one fine day,the trust imparted confidence made me able enough to maintain balance and a skill was acquired.So it was during my 'cycle-days' that I learned the most important lesson in my life .... to trust,and never to give up hope ....to proceed confidently ....to try and be independent in life...and to try and maintain my balance. A simple act of driving can turn out to be quite a learning experience if you want (and perceive) it to.


P.S: should have named this progress in steering :P