Faith | Let’s ‘yield the right away’ and watch out for each other

Never one to pass up a good metaphor, I found one a while ago in the Nov. 25, 2024 edition of the Tri-City Herald. Doug Dahl of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission writes an occasional article on — guess what — matters of traffic safety.

Mr. Dahl writes clearly and concisely, with a light touch of humor. As suggested above, I found in his discussion of “yielding right-of-way,” a valuable metaphor for living together in community. With appreciation and any necessary apologies to him, allow me to explain.

Mr. Dahl made two important statements about driving that I think apply to the greater context of social responsibility to each other.

First, he said, “The law doesn’t give a driver the right-of-way; it states who is required to yield the right-of-way.”

Perhaps it’s easier to apply at intersections with moving cars, bicycles, and pedestrians, but my sense is that such a directive is much harder to apply as fellow citizens engaging each other in our courses of human intersections and interactions. It seems to me that we are much quicker to demand others yield to our “rights” than we are to consider where it is best for all concerned for us to yield to the humane rights of others.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought it close to the heart (and soul) when he said from the confines of a city jail, “The ultimate measure of a person is ... where they stand at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk position, prestige, and even life for the welfare of others” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963).

Will we give up our (presumed) “right to be offended,” and unselfishly and faithfully pursue the common rights that benefit all people?

While you are pondering that, consider Mr. Dahl’s other remarkable remark. “The road isn’t the place to prove who’s right; instead it’s where we most should watch out for each other.”

Perhaps you would agree that there are countless places we should watch out for each other; not just on our streets, roads and highways, but our corners, alleys, and parking lots. By this I mean we should watch out for each other in the quiet, reserved places as well as in the busy, public places.

We should watch out for each other — young and old, rich and poor, similar and different — with more attention, compassion, and energy than is invested in proving who is right and who is wrong, or how might makes right, or how the Golden Rule might degenerate to “’thems’ with the gold makes the rules.”

We can and must do better by each other, for each other, and with each other.

As we move about our lives in neighborhoods, schools, places of work and play, places of worship and fellowship; as we come and go, we must watch out for each other.

May each of us have the grace, wisdom, and courage to consider our neighbors and yield to their rights to well-being more than merely demand our own.