Question
Hello, Master. I had a car accident yesterday; my two children were
with me, and I was driving. I was the only one involved. I was told
”loss of control of the vehicle.” The accident was terrible, the car
totaled, but my children and I only had minor injuries. I feel guilty
and ashamed now, even though I have had my license for 21 years and driven
thousands of kilometers without a single problem. I had
a breakdown when I saw what I had caused: the people who came
to help us, the firefighters who got us out, the emergency room, my children’s
injuries, our friends who drove 500 kilometers round-trip to
bring us home, having ruined all these people’s day, no
longer being able to drive my children anywhere…
How can I regain my confidence and cope with such a shock? Thank you for giving
a little of your precious time, Master, and for being kind enough to answer
a question that may seem materialistic or cowardly to you.
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
The trauma will last for a while, then you will be more careful, then you will forget.
The automobile reflects our life and our mentality.
It strengthens and asserts the image and space of our ego, but not our divinity, and even though it gives us a sense of strength, it actually weakens us. It pollutes and poisons; it poses a mortal danger to others, especially SUVs, but we consider that less important than our image and comfort.
We are heated in winter and cooled in summer; music stimulates us; we are cut off from the world, and sometimes we even talk on the phone while driving, or simply think about something else.
Above all, it rarely establishes a relationship of love with other road users, but rather one of distrust (rightly so), impatience, and anger. Then one day death arrives. We are astonished to find ourselves so fragile, even more astonished to realize we have neglected our responsibility, and astonished again to see human hands reaching out to help us and love us. Life is beautiful; humanity is good.
The car is only a symbol of how we navigate our lives. In fact, we can die or be seriously injured at any moment, even walking or staying at home. We endanger our children and those dear to us simply by forgetting where we are and what we came here to do.
Kosen