There is an online article I came across recently, entitled “10 types of bad drivers who must be stopped.” Our world is full of potatoes, which represent what we believe are issues of right versus wrong, or injustices. We are not unfamiliar with potatoes that happen while driving, as the writer of the article indicates.
Our emotions give us information as to what are potatoes to us. The mindset we subsequently form, whether constructive or destructive, impacts our attitude or approach to dealing with the problem. Our management strategy to deal with the situation (our potato management), follows in line with the mindset we form in response to the situation. Destructive mindset leads to destructive management strategies; constructive mindset leads to constructive management strategies.
What can complicate the matter is that what is one person’s strategy to manage their potato is a potato to someone else. This can lead to conflicts on the road, which is a factor why driving can be stressful to so many. Examples may be many of the road rage incidents.
Our mindset affects how we think of and how we report the potatoes we come across. Sometimes it is subtle, and we definitely understand what is being said, however, getting caught up in the destructive mindset restricts our ability to find solutions to the problems we encounter.
Remember, a person is not a potato (“potato” being another way of saying “a problem”). When we focus on the people as if they are the problems, we get caught up into a destructive mindset and therefore miss the mark to find solutions. Potatoes are the problem behaviours that are implied when we are in the destructive mindset, but the destructive mindset gets us off track. For example, when we attempt to communicate a concern destructively, defensiveness on the part of others can ensue, and then destructive backlash may happen, which makes it harder to deal with the issue at hand, because the backlash introduces more potatoes into the mix.
Let us explore the opening comments of the article:
“Bad drivers. The ones who think they “own the road.” They fuel road rage, elevate your blood pressure, and use the middle finger to communicate with others they share the roads with. You know who they are. In fact you may be one of them.”
The following comments are not intended to be a criticism of the author of the article, rather to explore how the mindsets that we as humans (writer included!) can impact our life experience. Notice that the focus of the opening comments is on the people driving rather than on the driving habits. Although what is being reported is realistic, it is nonetheless reported within the destructive mindset, and it is possible for us to respond destructively, believing that we are engaged in a “me versus you” struggle with those “bad drivers” out there. We may nevertheless find laws to address the issues described.
However, how does a constructive way of reporting the driving potatoes change how we respond and how we come up with solutions? I will suggest a constructive alternative to the above opening comments, but in no way believe it is the only constructive alternative:
“Bad driving habits. The ones that make driving stressful. They can fuel road rage, elevate your blood pressure, and result in the use of the middle finger to communicate with others the road is shared with. You know what they are. In fact you may be responsible for some of them.”
By the way, I agree that some of the issues (habits, not people) identified by the author need to be addressed by our lawmakers. Here is a link to the entire article for your interest:
One Response
Thanks for addressing this huge issue!! Definitely a good way to approach driving. It’s so easy to get caught up in blaming others on the road, especially when there are no immediate consequences to our destructive thinking; I can yell at someone in another car all I want without them yelling back at me. But that doesn’t help to fix the poor driving habits, and it definitely creates animosity inside me. So it is definitely far better to see the potatoes for what they are: Potatoes, not People, even on the road!!