I say – “There is no hope for peace in the world, until everyone simply obeys their local traffic laws.” Which traffic laws – speeding, running red lights, stopping at Stop signs, texting while driving, yielding the right of way, and my biggest pet peeve, signaling a lane change. And not a traffic law, but I will add it to the list, yielding when someone does signal to come into your lane, simple courteousness.

“Some people believe fairness comes with obeying the rules. I’m one of those people.” – Al Green

I know you’re wondering – how can simply obeying traffic laws predetermine world peace? And when I say world peace, I don’t just mean peace and cooperating among countries; that’s at the top of the relationship pyramid. I’m addressing the very human nature of peace and cooperating among all people starting at the base of the relationship pyramid – people in relationship with their family (parents, spouse, children) and friends and a step up on the relationship pyramid – people in relationship with their fellow community members. Once a solid base of peace and cooperating is established, then, and only then can that migrate all the way up to relationships between countries.

How can I say this? Most people who violate traffic laws have the attitude that the traffic laws do not apply to them, they are inconvenient, following them isn’t their problem, they don’t agree with the posted speed limit, or it’s not illegal unless they get caught, and then they still fight it in court. This is all sourced from our human nature motivation of – “it is all about me,” as detailed in ONLY HUMAN: Guide to our internal Human Operating System (iHOS) and Achieving a Better Life. “It is all about me” – no one else matters, I cannot be bothered with others.

It’s not that obeying traffic laws is solely necessary for world peace. It’s an indicator, a litmus test, of whether people can put aside their personal petty needs and desires and provide for another human being and do good by them, simply because they’re human beings. These negative attitudes and approaches to life pervade not only how people drive – this is only the more visible, but influence many other areas of their lives: how they treat people at work, their family, and people in general.

So, I present you with the driving challenge – use your turn signal when you drive: changing lanes, making turns at intersections, and entering/exiting parking lots. Start communicating with other drivers, set the example for communication, courteousness, and peace in the world.