In Buddhism there isn’t much emphasis on overcoming resentment through forgiveness. Christianity is all about atonement for sin, and learning to forgive your trespassers, but Buddhists think of the very fact that one takes offense in the first place is the real problem. That’s where the error lies. Just as suffering has its origin in desire, so does the tendency to take offense come from something within us, something we’re in control of. So if you want to get all bent out of shape, that’s your call, but don’t pretend you’re not the one doing it.

Maybe that’s why so few people beep their horns at each other. I’ve never seen a driving action end up in a fight, nor have I heard one driver yell at another. For all their strange notions about driving and governance, I can’t help but admire this trait.