Indian Culture on the Road

The Culture of a people is sum of stuff like religious beliefs, social structure and values, art forms, books and tales, leaders, racial mix, immigration, emigration, history and economics, and a lot more. And it is constantly changing with each passing moment creating a new set of these variables. It's not necessarily evolving, as human history tells us we have always found ways to screw up our lives and those of others on grounds so stupid that we feel ashamed of ourselves, and we are definitely not getting more civilized in our ways. (What does "civilized" mean anyway?)

I think a great way to evaluate the culture of a Nation is to study how people behave on its roads. Look at India for example. The following, which I witness every day, characterize our behavior on roads in general:

• Extremely poor adherence to traffic rules is a characteristic of India on the streets. The unwritten and unacknowledged, yet all-pervading rules are the following:
• Totally ignore all traffic rules when there is no Traffic police watching
• No need to bother about the traffic signal if there is no traffic police around
• Leads to mass traffic signal violation and dangerously concentric traffic, which somehow escapes collisions
• The irony is that even those who want to follow traffic rules are forced to join the herd, otherwise they'll be crushed by the stampede of vehicles
• In case of heavy traffic, while everyone trying to push his/her way through invariably leads to a logjam, yet  nobody gives way to anyone else
• Don't give way to anyone, even if it is an ambulance with its siren roaring loudly
• It is perfectly fine to stop your vehicle in the middle of the road even for trivial reasons without bothering you are blocking the traffic
• Narrow roads without exists and space for stopping is definitely one reason, but what's really alarming is the total insensitivity with which some people stop and don't bother for a long time
• If someone shouts at you, simply shout back, irrespective of whose mistake it is
• Honk as much as you can to make way for yourself
• Look down upon everyone else on the road especially those with smaller vehicles
• Believe in Me first, everyone else later, as far as possible
• If you hit someone, run away if you are sure you won't be caught
• If you are in a car, you don't need to worry if you are splashing water or dust on someone walking by the road-side
• If you are in a car, those on 2-wheelers and those on foot are a nuisance. If you are on a 2-wheeler, those on cycles and those on foot are a nuisance. If you are on a cycle or if you are on foot, everyone who is on a motor vehicle is a nuisance. If you are on foot, everyone who is on a vehicle of any sort is a nuisance.
• Lanes drawn on the roads are just for aesthetic appeal, and they are not meant for anything else
• It is sometimes fun to drive with one of those white lines running through the middle of your car
• And of course, the concept of lanes does not apply to a vehicle with less than 4 tires
• Taking random turns at will and assuming those behind will notice and apply brakes
• If you hit someone, fight with all your might but never accept your mistake
• If yours is a bigger vehicle, you can assume everyone else will give you way
• Honk often to clear the road and make way for yourself
• Tease girls and women on the roads
• ...
• ...
• ...

And so on... I think all the above together portray Indian Culture to a great extent, if not completely. The aspects which I see coming out clearly are - Corruption, Hypocrisy, Lying, Deception, Cheating, Cruelty, Dishonesty, Cowardice, Herd Mentality, Pretension, Selfishness, Self Centeredness, Carelessness, Recklessness, Ruthlessness, Immaturity, Distrust, Weakness, Apathy, Lasciviousness, Power Hunger, Avariciousness, Arrogance, Atheism, Argumentativeness, Ignorance, etc. etc. etc.