An accident at the intersection. Two cars have collided and
are stuck. Thank G-d there are no casualties, though some of
the passengers were slightly injured and are being treated.
The cars were extensively damaged, however; they are deeply
dented and there is glass all over the asphalt. The police
are busy measuring and taking down the testimony of
eyewitnesses. Passersby stop to view the cars, to hear
exactly what happened and to express an opinion. Here are
some of the reactions:
A mother with child: "Terrible! It's dreadful to think that
inside these smashed cars there sat live people! Poor people!
I sure hope they'll be alright!"
A driver: "What a traffic jam! What a mess! Why isn't there a
policeman to redirect the traffic to other streets? Every
bottleneck like this has its price in money and time, besides
taking a dreadful toll on people's nerves!"
Someone, probably with some medical know-how, explains to a
bystander that even at a slow speed, a sudden stop of a car
as a result of a collision can throw a passenger forward and,
if he is sitting up front, his head is liable to crash into
the windshield. A seat belt can prevent a blow to his head,
even though it causes tremendous pressure upon the chest. The
driver, he explains, is very liable to sustain an injury in
the chest; the steering wheel can damage his inner organs.
Another person offers his estimate: "Look, I'm an economist.
I can tell you the financial damage here. The damage to the
car alone can cost the insurance company tens of thousands.
Damages paid to the injured passengers, medical expenses and
so on can skyrocket to huge sums. Accidents cause the stocks
of insurance companies to fall and will eventually bring
about higher insurance fees in the coming year."
Another bystander, apparently a physicist, explains at length
to a young man at his side why one car changed its direction
and swerved at the moment of impact so that it appears that
it came from a different side altogether. His words are
peppered with scientific terms that make his comments sound
like a physics lecture.
Someone in a garage mechanic's clothing chuckles and muses
aloud: "Now you can see what cars are made of today. It isn't
even metal; it's like the aluminum foil that they wrap
chocolate bars with. That's what they make cars from today.
You can't even cough near them." And he chuckles again, out
loud.
A Jew with a gemora under his arm surveys the wreck
and with deep pain, says, "Oy, vey! Look at what
happens because of a fractional second of pride. One of the
drivers was supposed to slow down and allow the other one the
right of way. Had he done so, there would have been no
accident, no victims, no damages, and no tumult. But he
decided: No! I'm first! He wanted to gain five
seconds. And look — these are the results! Had he only
thought for a minute, all this could have been avoided, but
he didn't use his brains. All accidents come because of
people's faulty character traits."
Someone else carrying a luxurious leather briefcase, which
revealed him to be a lawyer, commented: "The driver who came
from the left should have given the oncoming driver the right
of way. But the other one was also at fault, because at the
end of the street from which he came there was no open field
of vision and he should have slowed down. Had he slowed down,
the impact would have been much slighter and the cars would
not have been damaged to such an extent. So, he's guilty as
well, and without a good lawyer, he will have his license
suspended for a few months."
Let us summarize the divergence of opinions and reactions
regarding this incident that took place at the intersection:
One person thinks that what happened had medical
implications. The other sees it as the impact of two bodies
governed by the laws of physics. A third sees here mainly an
economic development of financial implications and monetary
results while the lawyer views the legal aspects of the
occurrence. A man of mussar sees the drivers and
their behavior as the central focus of the event and all the
rest as merely the background and setting.
We have heard how people of various walks of life think
differently. It is natural for each of them to view
everything through the one-way spectacles which they wear,
each according to his personal occupation, profession and
personality. Each of them judge the event accordingly.
Our question is: What REALLY happened here? Who, of all those
who expressed their view, of those who showed how they look
at that event, is the one to properly and accurately size up
the situation according to its true nature? What constitutes
the central point of the event that renders all the other
opinions as subsidiary and auxiliary? In short, what is the
true inner structure and essence of the event that took place
here?
Many will say that this is a meaningless philosophical
analysis and a pity to waste time on it. Others will argue
that everyone was right, and what happened was a complex
combination of all that the different people saw from their
various points of vantage, and that there is no contradiction
between them.
So what is the real truth?
This resembles a situation where different people are wearing
eyeglasses that screen out certain colors, and each one is
different. It is only natural for one to declare that the
color of the opposite wall is blue, or green, or brown and so
on, according to the special tint of his lenses. It is very
easy to answer the question: What is the real color of the
wall? One need only remove his glasses and look at it, and
the true color will be apparent.
But as for the way one sees things, it is almost impossible
for a person to remove the mental eyeglasses which are
affixed in his mind by his personal way of thinking. These
glasses are him and there is no way that he can change his
own self.
In order to answer this question, in any case, let us attempt
to see it more clearly through a parable.
A person visits a factory during peak hours and is duly
impressed by the noise that fills the hall from the
machinery. The general hubbub is comprised of hammering,
striking of metal on metal, whistles, loud humming of
machinery, jangling and all kinds of different noises that
blend into one another. Rising above this hullabaloo is the
sound of a marvelous symphony of a large orchestra. Even
though one cannot help but be impressed by the beautiful
sound, no one thinks that the factory was established for a
musical purpose. This is easy to prove by simply asking the
owner of the plant why he established it to begin with.
In a similar manner, let us remind ourselves of the purpose
for which Hashem created the world. We know from the Torah
and from Nevi'im that the world was created to test
man, to place him into various situations whereby he can
overcome obstacles, pass tests, and grow accordingly. The
world includes within it everything needed to serve him as
suitable background and props to ensure that the purpose of
the world be realized in the best possible way.
Let us then postulate that man is the central axis of all
events. We can reveal the true significance of every event by
gauging the role he plays in that event. What challenge is
any man faced with when he is placed in the setting of a
particular event or circumstance?
Possibly, the focus of the situation before the accident
involved the chief actor and how he values human life, how
cautious he is, how much he is willing to sacrifice his time
by allowing the right-of-way on the road, his personal pride,
his regard for the sanctity of life and the commandment of
`Thou shalt not steal' and being careful in one's own self
preservation.
The whole enactment of his car arriving at the intersection
at the very moment when another car was approaching, and the
request of the baby-sitter at home to please not come home
late, and his estimation that his engine was powerful enough
to produce that spurt of speed to succeed in crossing before
the other car, and all other kinds of lesser factors like,
for example, the fact that he didn't see a policeman in the
vicinity — all these are the background upon which the
test was set up for that driver.
If so, our philosophic question is not floating around idly
in the air, dependent upon personal aspects of vision, but is
standing firmly on the ground of reality. And the real answer
to this question is critical. The definition of the true
essence of the events which we experience throughout our
lives is very important, because this will enable us to see
what is happening to us through the eyes of truth. Then we
will be able to stand up to the tests which confront us, and
to achieve their purpose in the world in the best possible
manner.
