Speeding Frenzy
As I was cruising in to work today at a good 70 mph, I got to thinking, "Why am I OK with speeding?" As much as I hate sitting at a red light with no other cars in sight, I have never just hit the gas and gone through it. I have never lifted a TV from Target. Heck, I've never lifted a pack of gum. But then again, I'll surf the internet and blog during work hours, and I use the copy machine for non-work activities. OK, I can justify these work-related offenses easily--my employer doesn't care--they realize they get more work out of me by letting me use the copy machine every now and then instead of taking an hour off work to drive to Kinko's to do it instead. But how can I justify breaking a law?
4 comments:
You can't...that's why we're always late to wherever we're going!
Even though I believe that we are to follow the laws of the land, and I believe there are absolute morals, I have to say that this is one of those cases that is situation dependent. The speed limits, while they are in fact legal limits, serve a purpose of enforcing physical safety. I believe the moral issue here comes into play when you as a driver are putting your convenience in front of the safety of others. For example, intentionally defying the speed limit to zip past other drivers or driving at 15-20 mph over the speed limit just because there is no one else around (and not thinking about what could pull out in front of you) is a moral compromise, or, more bluntly, a sin. However, we have all been on busy roads where the flow of traffic has been above the speed limit, or in situations where the most prudent response is to speed up to get past an erratic driver or some other obstacle. In these cases, adherence to the letter of the law would in fact be jeopardizing public safety, and perhaps your own. This question is similar to the question of "Is it okay to lie to protect someone's life or safety." Of course the answer to that is yes (and examples are given in the Bible). So I would say that the answer to the speeding question depends on the situation - and extrapolating this particular topic into an absolute moral just does not work.
M-Dogg, well put. Unfortunately, I can't say my speeding is primarily as a matter of keeping up with traffic or avoiding hazardous drivers. I tend to get annoyed that traffic is only 10 MPH over the speed limit. If I'm the only one on the road, I'm usually cruising significantly faster than our elected officials have said is safe. Of course I don't see speeding as a sin in the same way murder is a sin, but I do see most (duly acknowledging the exceptions you posed) speeding as rebelion against the authority that God has ordained over us. And to be specific...I need to slow down.
On a positive note...it felt pretty good last night when I was going pretty close to the speed limit and I drove by a speed trap to not have my blood pressure go up or look in my mirror to see if he was coming to get me...
The last time I was speeding I was pulled over by a very nice police officer. I rolled down my window and decide to tell her that I was a sinner and deserved to have a ticket. I appologized for my speeding. (While I was speeding I was listening to a sermon on my CD player). It was impressed that afternoon with how sinful I really am. I thank the Lord for his mercy and grace.
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