Full throttle: Act without fear

Have you ever been in a situation where you were willing to commit everything you have to achieve a desired outcome? I mean, given two options, you absolutely did not want one of them to happen and you were willing to do whatever it takes to make the other choice happen?

A friend once told me about an incident his father had when he picked up a hitchhiker on the highway. He was trying to be a good person and give a stranger a ride, but after driving a short distance, the hitchhiker pulled a gun on him and demanded his father pull over and stop the car. At this point, the father weighed his limited options and reasoned that if he complied with the demand he could possibly be shot and left for dead because he would be a witness to the crime.

What happened next, though, turned the tables on the gun-totting passenger and put the father in control of the situation. Instead of slowing down, he made the decision to step on the accelerator and went full throttle down the highway. As the car gained speed, the hitchhiker’s demands became more intimidating, but the father was committed to an outcome and ignored the threats.

The tension was extreme as the car raced down the desolate highway at full speed and the hitchhiker held the gun to the father’s head. The father told the hitchhiker that if he was shot his last action would be to yank the wheel hard and cause the car to violently roll out of control – killing them both. However, if the gun were handed over to him, he would allow the hitchhiker to live and let him out of the car unharmed. Realizing that his life was worth more than the money and vehicle that he hoped to steal, the hitchhiker handed over the gun. The father slowed down as he now held the gun on the hitchhiker. When the car stopped, the would-be assailant was left along the side of the road, after the father had him take off his pants so others wouldn’t be so inclined to give him a ride.

There are many situations in life where “bullies” make unreasonable demands and abuse their position of power. The more that people comply with their bullying, the more unreasonable they become in their demands and the less tolerant they are to the wishes and requests of others. This sorry human behavior can be observed in young schoolyard tormenters, international terrorists, and all the way up to tyrannical world leaders. It manifests itself in the form of abusive spouses, harassing coworkers, autocratic bosses, or repressive politicians.

Mahatma Gandhi was humiliated on a train trip that he took to work in South Africa. He was thrown off the train because of the color of his skin and his first response was anger. However, he realized that violence would not bring him justice and he resolved to develop his philosophy of non-violent intolerance to injustice. He willfully resisted the rule of the British Empire, and led the entire nation of India to become an independent country—something that many would have thought impossible.

What makes this even more amazing is that he did not hold any position or formal authority at the time, yet he was recognized as the leader of a cause because of his indefatigable spirit. His only weapon was his moral authority, total commitment to a cause, and an unbendable will in the face of extreme tension. Like my friend’s father, Mahatma Gandhi created a third alternative to the fight or flight reactions that most people exhibit when faced with an uncomfortable situation: non-violent action. And like the hitchhiker, the British Empire gave into the demands of a person whose will would not tolerate their injustice and threats.

Fear can be debilitating if one allows it to take control. If you are too afraid to act, then be prepared to accept whatever consequences come your way. However, if you believe in something so strongly that you are willing to do whatever it takes to realize the results you want, then it will eventually become a reality. We’ll end with the mission statement that Mahatma Gandhi used to shape his life and the destiny of his country. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you lived each day according to Gandhi’s mission?

“Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:

I shall fear only God.

I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.

I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.

I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”[/I]

—Mahatma Gandhi

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