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Give an Inch to Gain a Mile

Imagine with me, if you will, a non-railed causeway that is just wide enough for two cars to pass.

Now imagine that you are driving a car on that causeway when you look up and see another car coming at you.  You need to get to the other side.  They need to get to the other side.  It seems scary and dangerous to move over.  There's no railing, and a precipitous drop into the water awaits if you go too far.  As I see it, there are five options:

1) Back up until you get to the start of the causeway so that the other car can get past you and out of your way.
2) Force the other driver to back up until you can get past him.
3) Sit there bumper to bumper and don't go anywhere.
4) Try to shove the other car off the causeway.
5) Carefully move to the side while the other driver does the same in order to provide space for both cars to get where they're going.

Options 1 and 2 put one of the drivers in the position that they might encounter the same situation the next time they attempt to cross.  Option 3 prevents both drivers from arriving at their destination, all the while stopping traffic all the way back up the causeway.  Option 4, well, the damage to the cars, the loss of life, not to mention the crime committed in the process all seem to be bad ideas.

That leaves us with option 5.  Clearly it can be unsettling to move over and be so close to falling off the edge of the causeway, in whole or in part, but you know that there is enough space, and if both drivers are careful, if both drivers move, if they will work together, they will make it work and get where they want to go.  It might take a little time to get it right, but it will provide both parties the opportunity to get to their destinations.

Options 1-4 have clearly not worked.  It is time for our state and national representatives and senators to take option 5.

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