Doing the right thing is no accident

One day, while travelling past a friend’s house, I noticed my friend’s vehicle had sustained a great deal of damage. I quickly contacted her to find out how she and her family were doing. I was relieved to learn that none of them had sustained any injuries, as none of them were in the vehicle when the accident occurred.

Their vehicle was in a parking lot, and there were no witnesses to the incident. I was appalled to learn, given the extent of the damage, that no one had come forward; as much as they solicited the neighbourhood for help. To this day they do not know who damaged their car. This was an accident that had become a crime.

This was in stark contrast to what I had experienced a few years ago when I witnessed a lady accidentally backing onto someone else’s vehicle. She was visibly shaken by this and immediately looked around for a pen and paper in order to leave a note on the other person’s vehicle. Although the vehicle had a foreign license plate and she probably would never have bumped into the owner, (pardon the pun) I thought it was highly civil of the lady to do so. I am sure that the people who had their vehicle hit appreciated the gesture of responsibility as well.

The lady who hit the foreign vehicle is an example of proper etiquette and civility toward others. She probably reacted to the situation in a way she would have liked, had her vehicle been the one that had been hit. She honoured the golden rule of treating others, as you would like to be treated. While accidents do happen, and laws are created to govern society, and yes, to err is human, the basis of civil society is a genuine concern for others and a self-imposed responsibility for our actions.