And for what?

Yesterday I got together with the other owners in my fantasy football league at a bar. We voted on rules and regulations for the upcoming season and lotteried the draft order. It was a beautiful day and I was excited about another football season.

Little did I know what drama would ensue.

I was standing outside the bar soaking in the sunshine as I saw a large truck start to pull out it's parking spot. A car whizzed up and tried to get around him honking his horn. The guy in the truck halted and the car pulled around him. The guy in the car yelled something incomprehensible and the trucker decided to respond with a one finger salute.

As one might expect the guy in the car didn't take too kindly to be flipped off and jumped out of his car. He was dressed in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Tall and scruffy he looked to be about 150 lbs if that. He ran up to the guy in the truck and started yelling.

To the trucker's credit he seemed to actually take it in good humour being calm and collected, but looked confident that if it came to fisticuffs he would win. He stayed in his vehicle as words were exchanged, but then the skinny guy started a little hand slapping contest. Still the trucker guy refused to get out of his vehicle and started laughing at that guy.

Skinny car boy got frustrated and made his way back into his car and drove off with his family. I then noticed another spectator standing there and looked at the trucker guy. He pulled a small caliber revolver out of his pocket and waved it to his buddy with a look that said "I have your back". Trucker man smiled and nodded as he made his way out of the parking lot.

I stood there in complete shock. This skinny guy with a bad temper had no idea how close he was to being shot in front of his family. Sure I've had a few moments where I got into small exchanges with other drivers, but this was fucking ridiculous. This coward of a man felt compelled to draw a gun instead of fighting honorably for his friend and over what? All because of a simple honk of the horn and a finger meant a man's life could've ended, in front of his family no less.

What lesson did skinny boy teach his son? His child was sitting in the back of the vehicle watching his father act like a complete jackass. I weep for the child as I predict how his upbringing may lead him.

I'm glad I witnessed that, because everyone should be reminded that while there are things worth fighting and even dying for, there are far more reasons just to calmly leave the situation and go on breathing.

I'm sure my international readers are shaking their heads thinking 'fucking Americans'.

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." - Mohandas Gandhi