Why do people speed?
Have you ever wondered that? Try this: pick any stretch of road around of sufficient length, and force yourself to go the speed limit. What do you think will happen? If it is a multi-lane road I imagine you will see quite a few cars pass you. If it is a one lane road I imagine you will hear lots of horns behind you encouraging you to speed up. But why? What is the reason that so many of us have need to go past the stated speed limit? I did some research and found a lot of the same reasons from different articles. I’ll boil them down for you here:
People think speeding in general is dangerous, but not when it pertains to them.
Many people believe that the rules are there for others to follow but they know what the safe speed is for them specifically.
Peer pressure drives people to “keep with the flow of traffic” (yes that pun was intended).
People don’t always realize they are speeding
Some people use the car to show off; here is a rule they can break and most likely get away with
One resource I found had this very interesting thing to say about speeding: “Overall, there was a feeling getting caught for speeding just wasn’t really that important; a case of bad luck rather than bad judgement.”
Here are my thoughts on the matter: it is an example of an inherent need to be first at something.
You see this tendency in a lot of places, and in all ages of people. It starts with preschoolers. The TodaysParent website says there are three main reasons that we see three-to-five year olds trying to be first, at any activity.
They are learning initiative. They are trying to be doers and not just react to things.
They don’t have a good concept of time. So taking turns doesn’t help them much when all they understand is they aren’t able to do something now.
They are egocentric, meaning that they just learned to think about themselves. They have to learn how to think about others and that hasn’t come yet.
It’s that last item that I find most interesting. A lot of the reason for young ones wanting to be first is that all they are thinking about is themselves. But when we get older we start to think about other people. It’s how we think about them that matters. If you are first then what does that say about how you want to view yourself in relationship to others? It must mean that you are faster, stronger, prettier, more successful, wealthier, etc. It means that in some way you are better than others.
Being first at something only makes sense if there are other people involved. You can’t win a race if no one else participates. It has to be a subject that actually matters to people for it to mean anything. So being first requires a relationship of some sort. Jesus referenced this concept of being first when a rich man came to him asking about eternal life:
Matthew 19-16-22
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
I am astonished that the man asks Jesus “Which ones”. Is he hoping for only being told to keep some of the commandments instead of all of them? That is exactly what he gets with Jesus’ response. Have you ever wondered why it is that Jesus answers with those specific commandments? Look at them again. Notice anything? Except for the last one they are all part of the ten commandments. And an interesting thing about those is that they fall into two sections: those that have to do with your relationship to God, and those that have to do with your relationship to others. The ones that Jesus talks about here fall into the latter category. And then he adds “love your neighbor as yourself,” which when you think about it encapsulates all of the other ones mentioned.
Jesus is saying that his life should be about treating others well. His relationships are what matters. Not his wealth or status. Even the last part, about selling everything and giving to the poor, is a remark about relationship. In a later passage (verse 30) we get this quote:
30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
What is this all about? Many of the “first” people of the time (and now?) got where they were because of the not-so-good way they treated others. Climbing the ladder to be the best could have meant shoving other people down a rung or two. Jesus is saying here that many of those people who are striving to be “first” in something are playing the wrong game. And that the only real game that matters is one of relationship to others.
What if the goal was to try to be the one that had the best loving, caring, respectful relationships, with as most people as possible? What would the world look like if we all tried to play and win that game? I think it would be Heaven on earth.
The next time someone passes you on the road, think about what game it is that is really worth playing: relationships with others. Let’s try to be first at that and see what wonderful things happen.
God Bless