I have always loved to speed. I never drive so fast that I could lose my licence, and never recklessly, but rarely abiding by the law with respect to the speed limit.
I drive powerful cars and I drive safely, but I do like to open up and go fast on an open road. Driving fast like this creates a certain tension in me. I used to pride myself on being able to sense the presence of police cars and would slow down just before coming upon them on the other side of the crest or around the bend. I rarely got caught. To be honest, I think I liked the thrill of it, the rush of it, the feeling I was ‘getting away with it’.
But I have since come to realise that driving in this way creates a narrowness of focus. I am always focussed on the speedo, the sides of the road – looking for likely hiding spots for police cars – and focussed on the other cars, wondering if they are well-camouflaged or unmarked police cars.
I am also always coming up behind slower moving vehicles, so they are always ‘getting in my way’. This leads to impatience, frustration, and sometimes even internal rage.
The other day, I was driving to an appointment. It was a sunny day during school holidays, and I was driving on a highway the police love to patrol. I started off as usual and then thought: “Why not just drive on the speed limit?” So I did.
Driving on the Speed Limit – a Revelation
I drove along at 100 km an hour, instead of 120, and slowed down for road works and built up areas, always travelling within the law and abiding by the speed limits. This created an enormous ease and openness in me and my whole awareness opened up. I was not just focused on the road and on my speed, but was able to be aware of and appreciate my own self, my body and everything around me.
Because I was driving at the same speed as everyone else, the whole road opened up around me. No-one was getting in my way, I had all the space and time in the world, and I was on the road with everyone else, sharing the space with everyone equally.
I felt a great stillness, and a great sense of joy.
What do I mean when I say I felt a great stillness?
I am usually a little racy, on edge, my mind going quickly, jumping forwards and back in time… and all that even though I no longer choose to drink coffee or eat sugar! I sometimes try to fit too much into each moment and so am often running late, rushing to complete tasks and get to the next one.
In this space that I created by driving within the speed limit, just by allowing myself to drive within the road laws, rather than forcing myself to go faster to get somewhere, this raciness fell away and I was left feeling a great stillness and spaciousness within me. And I had the understanding that this sense of stillness and space is always there, living within me, if I allow myself to slow down and feel it.
And then I wondered why I had spent 35 years speeding while driving, depriving myself of this pleasure; the pleasure of abiding by the law. I realised that the law is there, not to annoy me, or to be flouted for the sake of it, but to keep us all as safe as road laws can, no matter what kind of car you have, what the weather conditions are, and how much traffic is on the road.
What part of me thinks I am above or exempt from this law? The part that thinks I am smarter, more alert, have a better car – that the law does not apply to me?
What part of the law says that it is for everyone but me? Abiding by the law comes from the understanding that we are all equal, and that the law is for everyone, equally so; and if we choose to break it, no matter how special we think we are, there will be consequences for us, as there are for everyone else.
This has been an amazing and humbling experience for me, and a great lesson in true equality. And to experience stillness within while in motion is a far greater joy than any cheap thrill (which can become an expensive fine!) that I ever had when speeding. Now, all I have to learn to do is leave enough time to get where I am going, as I drive whilst abiding by the law!
I am forever inspired by the life and work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.
By Anne M, Northern NSW, Australia
Further Reading:
Caught Speeding
Driven to Distraction
859 Comments
Thank You Anne, as finding myself in the same equation after 50 years of ruth-less driving pushing my body and car to the maximum it could be driven at and that has been the same as you have shared with a deep tension in the focus that had to put into driving that way and thanks also to Serge Benhayon the feeling of that tension in my body has dissipated when the rules are followed.
I always have had a tendency to go that little bit too fast, I have now been with out a car for a few months so it will be great when I get my car back next week to be more aware and present.
[…] Further Reading: Rush, Rush, Rush Yoga of life – to rush or not to rush? Abiding by the Law – Driving on the Speed Limit, and Enjoying It! […]
These words resonated with me this morning
‘I sometimes try to fit too much into each moment and so am often running late, rushing to complete tasks and get to the next one.’
This is what so many of us do without even realising it we try to fit too much into each moment and so we loose out on the space that is there waiting for us. If I come out of the drive to get things done and just allow the space to open up I find I get more accomplished than if I rush.
In London some boroughs are 20mph instead of the national 30mph in built up areas. Recently I’ve been questioning my annoyance of 20mph zones. And part of it is not wanting to annoy other drivers (most likely those who believe the rules don’t apply to them!) but in trying to slow down rather than accept the speed law for what it is I feel tense and start carelessly speeding.
Laws have a meaning and when we surrender to them, we understand it
The laws of the land are a reflection of the Laws of the Universe that apply to us all equally.
They say children are a lot happier with boundaries in place, adults too in a funny sort of way are better off when there are rules to follow.
There is something very liberating in allowing yourself the space to get somewhere without stress and rush. I wonder how much time we do actually save by speeding? I don’t think the pay off is worth the added stress to the body.
Driving or the drive that leads to being racy definitely has an adverse effect on our body as we can feel the raciness even when we think we are more focused in the racy-ways we go about life. So understanding our limits and true purpose in life has a focus that keeps us in connection with our bodies, so at the end of the day we feel complete without the need to slow down.
“Now, all I have to learn to do is leave enough time to get where I am going, as I drive whilst abiding by the law ” Oh how I relate to this one! I often will leave right at the last moment and cause myself and others more stress.
I love how you share that abiding by the law is part of honouring the rules that have been set to keep us all safe. That may mean that we need to address the nervous tension that meant we felt the need to race or to put so much into our day that we ended up being late and having to ‘make up time’.
Whenever we are doing something ‘wrong’ there is a tension in our body because we are either worried about getting caught or we are arrogantly smug about the fact that we don’t care about getting caught!! To drive within the speed limit that has been set and considered for the health and safety of the all allows more space in our body and puts less pressure on other people using the roads.
I find it interesting how we can change from driving over the speed limit to simply enjoying the speed limit because of the joy connecting to our body. My driving has completely transformed. I don’t get irritated like I used to when a car in front of me slows down because it has entered a 30 or 40 mph sign. I actually slow down before it does! And I am also aware of the beauty around me and the impact driving with myself has on everything and everyone around me.
Driving our vehicle the way we can – that is, in full connection to the body of the vehicle , driving with such love and care, that is our potential every time we drive off.
There is one less tension to feel when we drive our car according to the law.
I invariably find, if I am in a rush to get somewhere, that there is always a car that will pull out in front of me that is only going about 25mph. So rather than get frustrated or annoyed, when it happens now I have to smile to myself as I clearly know what the message is. And very often the registration plate, or some writing on a van or lorry will have a message for me too!
What a great understanding you came to, that space and stillness is always there inside us, if we allow ourselves to slow
down, connect to and feel it, ‘In this space that I created by driving within the speed limit, just by allowing myself
to drive within the road laws, rather than forcing myself to go faster to get somewhere, this raciness fell away and
I was left feeling a great stillness and spaciousness within me.’
I just had an awesome drive of four hours and I am sure it is because I let go of having to be anywhere at any given time and just focused on the present moment. It was interesting when I came across a roadblock and I ventured off route following my nose so to speak. I meandered down some tiny lanes…very beautiful in the autumn colours and met no-one for several miles. I eventually came out at a place that was familiar and actually arrived for my appointment ten minutes ahead of time.
I definitely try to stick to the speed limit and find that if I drive over the speed limit then there is a subtle tension in my body that doesn’t feel great and I know it will leave me feeling more tired when I get home.
I love keeping to the speed limit now .. it mainly started because years ago I got 9 points on my licence in about 2 months for speeding!!!! Yep so a lot more careful now. But what I really hate is road bullying when someone drives up behind you and flashes their lights at you to move so they can go faster, that is when I stay in the lane and do my own thing if they want to go faster they can go round me.
When we choose to understand rather than react to life there is a whole other level of space and awareness to move through life in
Lovely to read what unfolded when you drove to the speed limit of the area, and let go of the thrill you had previously enjoyed, that I am sure many of us can relate with, ‘To be honest, I think I liked the thrill of it, the rush of it, the feeling I was ‘getting away with it’.
It costs energy to not Obey the speedlimits. It gives a stress to the body as you know the limits are there for safety of all And you go against it.
I love driving with a real awareness of my posture and every movement I make – acceleration, turning corners, stopping and so on. This care also brings attention to the local speed limits. If allowing myself to be pulled out into mental thoughts, I can find myself speeding and having less attention on what is going on around me.
It seems so easy to justify at times why we do not need to follow the general rules and laws in life. But in reality it demonstrates how we as individuals want to be different from others.