Taking The Moral High Ground In Ireland

by Eddie
(Wicklow town, Ireland)

There is a section of road where residents are allowed to park their cars and it takes up most of one side. People that live in the area know it well, so much so that the unsaid rule for 99% of drivers is to move over a smidge on the other side to let two opposite cars pass without any problem.

For years this is how it goes and I will often pull over a lot myself in politeness and solidarity of this awkward placing parked vehicle in the knowledge that it will be appreciated and maybe even give a warm fuzzy glow for others to go about their day with ease.

One guy today...about ten minutes ago, decides to not pull over by remaining in the middle. This was actually ok because I was able to pass without even crossing the middle line, yet he yelled and hollered and even stopped the car.

I might understand if he wasn't from the area, as when I first moved here I did feel like stopping to let others pass would be the right thing to do but I never treated anyone like that. Soon I learned the way this particular piece of road was generally navigated by most people with generous actions and usually even a thank you wave.

So although he was not incorrect technically about how the road should operate, his overreaction and knowledge of the area screams to me that this is his one way to gain moral high ground in order to attain power over others for whatever mental illness he may have.

But if he had caused an accident himself the insurance company may well side with him due to the fact of a parked car giving right of way to his side…even though there was tons of room to move.

The problem is now that I am aware of this one man, I have seen others stop even though I have given them plenty of room not to do so. So is he now frightening everyone into a standstill? It still remains that the main way for this maneuver to be managed by most is with politeness and awareness of how it is navigated by means of monkey see monkey do, but now that I let this guy get under my skin. I will be extra nervous around this junction, I wish I had a thicker skin but I don't.

I don't see it changing because of one man, but I'll always be on the lookout for him just in case.

There always seems to be people ready to take the moral high ground on something silly just to gain power of others. I think it's a sickness.

It may be that he was just having a bad day. If that was the case I totally understand, but something tells me by the way he stopped twice that this is "something he does" and is not just a random fleet of emotional outburst.

Thanks for reading. Wow, writing this really helped.