We were in an odd mood. I must have been going through my empty nest syndrome and nostalgic for our hippie years, because when we were presented with the opportunity to take a road trip across western Canada to a wedding in BC we decided to take our old white van, and camp. We loaded it with an old mattress, some sleeping bags and our suit cases and headed out.
After the wedding, driving back we decided to travel through the states. We never did sleep in the van. We discovered that it’s hard to pretend to be poor when you have enough money for the convenience of a motel. But we did love the old van – and the pretense of carefree living.
At the time, Cliff was reading a book about the left/right brain so while I was taking my turn driving, he was reading to me.
We were intrigued with the power of the right brain, but were astounded to learn the inherent conflict between the two sides of our brain
Cliff had just finished reading about a case study documenting this conflict and we were discussing the findings, when I noticed red lights flashing signaling me to pull over. I pulled into a parking lot.
The policeman seemed really surprised to see me. “Were you driving?” he asked looking for someone else in the van.
I said. “Yes.”
“But you were driving so erratically. I was following you right through town and you didn’t stop. And you were driving fast one minute – slow the next.”
I laughed. “No doubt.”
I explained that I never did take the time to calculate the difference between miles per hour into kilometers so I didn’t pay much attention to speed limits besides I was listening to my husband read from a book.
By this time Cliff joined our conversation and we were just chatting it up and we had a good time with him. He even talked about his wife… and some of their discussions.
Finally he pulled out his little book. “I have to give you a ticket,” he apologized. “Because I have a fleet of cars waiting on the other end of town. Given how you were driving we thought you were probably high, smuggling drugs, so we prepared a sting operation. The guys will never believe this.”
Cliff took over the driving after that… but we continued to discuss the dynamics of conflict inherent in the world around us and inside of us.
It was one of those moments we would never forget.
There are demons and angel. There is the negativity bias and a positive optimism. In the beginning of time there was the tree of good and evil. It is a reality.
There always seems to be two choices - there’s the narrow way and the highway. There is the road less traveled. It seems to be well documented. There is the reptilian brain - survival method and then there is the counterintuitive way or generosity and the common good.
Without going into much detail about - we just know there is a choice.
We can adhere to speed limits or ignore them.
I was in the left brain. Physically emotionally mentally and spiritually. And I got into big trouble. Paying that American ticket was a headache as well.
But what if we had been caught in sting. Guns drawn. Forced to lie on the pavement. Cuffed. There is the good and the negative. I think you can say that the police man forgave us.
We are entering into the spiritual quadrant – the first characteristic and responsibility of this – is “choice.”
We do have the ability to choose.
“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
After the wedding, driving back we decided to travel through the states. We never did sleep in the van. We discovered that it’s hard to pretend to be poor when you have enough money for the convenience of a motel. But we did love the old van – and the pretense of carefree living.
At the time, Cliff was reading a book about the left/right brain so while I was taking my turn driving, he was reading to me.
We were intrigued with the power of the right brain, but were astounded to learn the inherent conflict between the two sides of our brain
Cliff had just finished reading about a case study documenting this conflict and we were discussing the findings, when I noticed red lights flashing signaling me to pull over. I pulled into a parking lot.
The policeman seemed really surprised to see me. “Were you driving?” he asked looking for someone else in the van.
I said. “Yes.”
“But you were driving so erratically. I was following you right through town and you didn’t stop. And you were driving fast one minute – slow the next.”
I laughed. “No doubt.”
I explained that I never did take the time to calculate the difference between miles per hour into kilometers so I didn’t pay much attention to speed limits besides I was listening to my husband read from a book.
By this time Cliff joined our conversation and we were just chatting it up and we had a good time with him. He even talked about his wife… and some of their discussions.
Finally he pulled out his little book. “I have to give you a ticket,” he apologized. “Because I have a fleet of cars waiting on the other end of town. Given how you were driving we thought you were probably high, smuggling drugs, so we prepared a sting operation. The guys will never believe this.”
Cliff took over the driving after that… but we continued to discuss the dynamics of conflict inherent in the world around us and inside of us.
It was one of those moments we would never forget.
There are demons and angel. There is the negativity bias and a positive optimism. In the beginning of time there was the tree of good and evil. It is a reality.
There always seems to be two choices - there’s the narrow way and the highway. There is the road less traveled. It seems to be well documented. There is the reptilian brain - survival method and then there is the counterintuitive way or generosity and the common good.
Without going into much detail about - we just know there is a choice.
We can adhere to speed limits or ignore them.
I was in the left brain. Physically emotionally mentally and spiritually. And I got into big trouble. Paying that American ticket was a headache as well.
But what if we had been caught in sting. Guns drawn. Forced to lie on the pavement. Cuffed. There is the good and the negative. I think you can say that the police man forgave us.
We are entering into the spiritual quadrant – the first characteristic and responsibility of this – is “choice.”
We do have the ability to choose.
“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
RSS Feed
