what is the message of the essay on the rule of the road
Answers
A.G. Gardiner (1865 – 1946) in his essay “The Rule of the Road” points out what constitutes the true liberty. He begins by giving an example of an old lady who insisted on walking in the middle of the road in Petrogard instead of on the pavement. Her argument was that she had got liberty now to do so. She did not realize that like her, the cab-driver was also entitled to drive on the pavement. If such a thing happened, there would be traffic jams and chaos everywhere and nobody would be able to reach his or her destination in time. Such an individual liberty would result in complete anarchy in society.
The author thins that these days people are increasingly getting liberty drunk, which is very dangerous. Therefore, we must understand the rule of the road. It means that in order to preserve the liberty of all, the liberties of everyone must be curtailed. The traffic policeman should be taken as a symbol of liberty and not of anarchy when he is controlling traffic. Some curtailment of private liberty is necessary so that everyone may enjoy a social order that mades liberty a reality because liberty is not only a personal affair but also a social contract.
If a person’s liberty does not affect other’s liberty, then he can so as he likes. For example he may wear the type of clothes which he likes, wear shoes or walk bare feet, support long or short hair. He can follow his fancy by going to bed late or getting up early. He need not ask anybody’s permission in such things. But the moment his personal liberty begins to affect others, then it must be restricted. He may play his musical instrument as loudly as he wants if it does not disturb his neighbours. But he should ensure that his actions do not encroach upon the liberty of other people.
The author gives another example of a person who entered a railway carriage and disturbed him with his loud talking when he was trying to read Blue-book. The man talked common place things with his friend in a loud and pompous voice and forced the author to stop reading. The author did not object lest he should be considered a very rude fellow. He feels that a reasonable consideration, for the rights and feelings of others is the foundation of social behaviour. He is of the view women are less civilised in this respect than men. The reason is that men are better trained than women in give and take of social relationship because they have lived more in broad current of the world. They have learnt from their school life, their club life and games. But not women are beginning to enjoy these things.
The writer believes that the rights of small people and quiet people are also important to preserve. Motorists have no right to disturb others by blowing their horns deliberately and noisily. Similarly, one should listen to his gramophone inside his house maintaining privacy and not disturbing his neighbours. The fact is that we can be neither complete anarchists nor complete socialists in this complex world of ours. We must be a reasonal mixture of both. We must preserve our own liberty and our social liberty as well. This can be done by observing the rule of the road. In life great moments of heroism and sacrifice are rare. So, only the little habits of social behaviour can sweeten or make our life bitter.