Rite of Passage

Rite
of Passage

For teens, driving
is a monumental aging rite. It establishes the line between those who
have come of age and matured into a role with greater responsibility
and those who have been deemed too dependant on social status. In
ancient civilizations, it was customary to send young men on grand
hunting trips to determine if they were capable of defending their
villages and taking up the rank of a man.

Similarly, the youth
of today’s age are taken out on what we refer to as a ‘driving
test’. Ideally, we spend six months prior learning the ways of the
road just as ancient boys learned the laws of the forest. And
regardless of the era, all of humanity becomes a perfect replica of
what they learn, thus stressing the importance of proper training
rather than convenient instruction when we are called to protect
others and to defend ourselves from external dangers such as reckless
drivers experiencing road rage and wildlife. It is our ancient duty
to safeguard the lives of those in our global village, and the first
step toward strengthening our shield against automobile casualties is
to practice the same way we perform. Plan for the attack. Make sure
the text is sent, the GPS coordinates are ready to go, and our body
is clean of drugs and alcohol before hitting the gas. Think
twice. Check twice. Focus.

Fortunately, I have
never been behind the wheel during a car accident, but I have seen
and been present in the vehicle during such an event. There is an
unexplainable fear that dominates our instincts and enforces the
training we have equipped ourselves with. I am thankful I was
traveling with experienced drivers who had taken the time to
understand and control their vehicle so that when the time
came, no one was severely injured.

However, life is not
always so kind. Thousands of individuals are killed in motor vehicle
accidents every day worldwide. Even more, individuals are physically
and mentally disabled due to poor attentiveness to the mega-hunk of
mental on wheels which they command. Teens forget the distinction
between keeping a family out of harm, and the careless, ego-boosting
body language demonstrated in social media posts. Every picture
snapped in the car encourages a ‘me’ attitude and dampens the
importance of studious preparation to protect a life. As a
consequence, teens have entitled themselves in receiving a license
and many do not feel the legal preparation is applicable to them.
Internal threats like impaired judgment affect how teens respond to
their new responsibility and the education of future generations who
will learn to defend our village based on those who came before them.
Albeit a monumental effort, no cell phones while driving should be
practiced and enforced by all.

Our acceptance
within society when we earn that commendable little license should
not be a selfish desire for more “followers”, but a healthy
reminder that we take care of each other on and off the road.