The Universe of Obligation and the Road

In 1978, Helen Fien, in her book Accounting For Genocide, coined the term ‘universe of obligation.’ The concept is relatively simple to get behind, and, as defined by her, means “the circle of individuals and groups toward whom obligations are owed, to whom rules apply, and whose injuries call for amends.” I’ve had to explain it to younger students at my school, and an easy example that I can point to is one’s own family. Naturally, you feel protective about your family, more sensitive to insult and injury against them, followed by your close friends, etc. By nature of a feeling of closeness, you’d feel less protective over other people who you don’t immediately know or share a community with.

The theme of many an assembly about bullying has been the idea of expanding your universe of obligation. Feeling protective of people who aren’t immediately related to you takes time and some thinking, but it’s undeniably a good practice that can lead to a better world. It’s used to prevent bullying, or at least to make people think twice about it, but I believe that applying the same principle to driving can lead to an extremely safer world as well.

Admittedly, I started learning to drive because of my immediate universe of obligation. My mother has been struggling for several years with a knee issue, and, in a few days, she is going to undergo surgery for a total knee replacement. She needs someone to be able to drive her to and from physical therapy, as well as someone to drive my very active little sister to her volleyball practices and friend’s houses. For years, I had put driving off, mostly out of laziness and procrastination, but it has been my feelings of obligation and care to my family that I have finally elected to start driving, no matter how late I might be. However, my reasons for being as cautious as I am with my driving is an exercise in expanding that universe of obligation, which has led me to develop into a mindful driver.

It’s easy to look at the statistics of the deaths caused by distracted, drunk, or irresponsible driving as simply that: statistics, or numbers. We tend to forget when reading these statistics that every single one of those deaths were members of someone else’s universe of obligation. The accidents occurred, however, because they weren’t in that of the perpetrator, they didn’t receive protection and care that everyone, by virtue of being born, is entitled to. These people weren’t just numbers to their mothers, their fathers. They had lives which were cut short before it was their proper time. Only by expanding our own universes of obligation to include the people who make up these hundreds of deaths can we fully realize the depth of the issue. Only by expanding our universes to living people on the road can we end it.

This can be something so simple as being a more mindful driver. People must keep their eyes peeled for those who could be crossing the street at bad times, as well as those who are being irresponsible drivers near us. Care means paying attention to others, and it’s (frankly) the bare minimum we can extend to those that we share the roads with. Obligation has different faces, but care is certainly one of them.

It is true, of course, that several driving accidents are self-inflicted. Many drunk-drivers are often cited as their own reason for death, but I believe that they are also culpable of not paying attention to their immediate universes of obligation. Ultimately, the person at the center of your universe is yourself, and that is what they are guilty of not paying attention to. When I was younger, I used to scoff when the flight attendants would emphasize that you must fix your own air mask onto your face before you can do it onto someone else. But as I’ve grown up, I’ve realized that you can’t take care of others without taking care of yourself. You can’t put someone’s air mask on if you’re suffocating.

I realize that it might seem counterintuitive, even selfish, to prioritize yourself. But by taking care of yourself and the ways in which you drive, you are able to take care of others. Minding their own limits and health makes it less likely that someone will be inebriated on the road, potentially preventing a drunk driving incident. By sleeping well, drivers can ensure that they are alert and attentive to the road, not only to themselves but to the cars around them, preventing an accident caused by sleep deprivation (of which there are over 6,000 a year). We cannot expect to worry about other cars, or people when we are not taking care of ourselves?

Ultimately, Fien’s concept of the universe of obligation and expanding it to other people will lead to safer roads, not only because people need to pay attention to others, but because they need to pay attention to themselves. It’s in this way that we can reduce the number of car-related accidents, until no one loses a member of their universe because of a lack of care.