My Love for Linux
You must have heard about breaking builds but have you heard of breaking a building. Just like, a bad checkin can break a build likewise a bad day can break a building. This is what I did once upon a time. Not to forget the major thing that got destroyed was Windows. Yeah, I Love Linux. Just Kidding. :)
What this article is all about
If you are one of those persons who have just made an horrible accident and is feeling down then this article is for you. As a culprit, If you have questions like what should I do, what should I say, what should I hide and many other questions then this article is for you. This is a true story of my life and about my first ever accident.
Okay, why this article.
I think I made a mistake. And I also think anyone else can make the same mistake. In any case I felt very bad and really sorry, not for my car but for my company because I love my company more than I love my car. So this an attempt to feel light and share with people about what it feels, what you can learn and how you should behave in an event of an accident.
How did it start
Like any other perfect morning, had a good 8 hour sleep, ate a good breakfast prepared by wife, left the home early. Reached office around 8:30 AM (earlier than normal) and parked the vehicle at my usual place. I have been parking at the same place from past 8 months. Everything was normal till this point of time.
So what happened
I was just about to complete the parking but I soon realised that the car has climbed the pavement of the parking slot. Before I could do anything, I saw the car hitting the window of the office. Within moments, there were glass pieces all over the place and I was in dire state of shock. I am Linux guy from past 8 years so this was bound to happen one day. Windows crashed.
But how it really happened
I never tell lies and I don’t like to give excuses. And in this case too, I would be honest. I pressed the gas pedal instead of brake. Holy cow! But I don’t remember how and when I pressed the gas pedal. All I remember is, some how my car climbed the pavement. But believe me, I don’t remember when I pressed the gas pedal. As a matter of fact, I don’t even apply this much pressure on gas pedal while driving on road. :-/
The first thought that came to my mind
The first thing that stuck me was - Oye by god lag gayi..kya se kya hua (English translation - God, I am screwed..what has happened). Thoughts of facing a Police officer, increased insurance premium, what would people think of me, what will I say and what not bombarded my mind. I did not feel like coming out of the car.
Was it really the right thing to worry?
Duniya ka sabse bada rog mere bare mein kya kahen ge log! (English translation - World’s biggest disease is to think what would people think of me). Instead of worrying about police, premium or people, I should have thanked God that I was still alive and no one in the office was injured. Metals and Glasses can be fixed but life once lost is gone forever.
How did my company’s security team behaved
I was so impressed the way my company’s security team handled the scene. Within minutes, there were security officers around the car and they helped me to first come out safely. The first thing they asked, are you okay. They brought a glass of water and said - Relax, it’s okay - Accidents happen, we all are human beings. They were really very polite and kind to me. But they did take the car plate number, insurance policy number and license id number. Chase begins.
The lesson which I learnt and which you can learn too
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. The important thing is don’t lose your calm when you do or see an accident. Never get angry or rude to someone who has made a mistake. Security officers around me were really helpful and humble and it made me feel slightly less embarrassed. I am so grateful to them for not making a scene out of it.
How did my friends react to it
Soon it happened, I sent an email to my project DL, letting them know about it. Within minutes, I got many condoling emails. My manager and many of my project colleagues immediately came down extending their help and support. I soon realized the importance of asking someone if he or she needs some help. If you see someone is in trouble, just go to him/her and try to help in any which way you can.
What happened to the car and office.
The glass window (I love Linux) of the office was broken to pieces scattering all over the places and all over the car. The office was badly damaged as the car had gone almost inside the office. Holy shit! After an hour, towing team was called, they got the car out of the office, removed millions of glass pieces from the car. My company offers free towing service to their employees. I and car were towed for free of cost.
How did I behave
The biggest challenge is to keep yourself calm & composed when you do such a big blunder. The good thing is that I did not cry. I also did not panic. I told truth to the security officer. Then I sent an honest email to my project team informing them about the incident. It’s not easy to do that but if you can share it with many people, you will feel light. The other good thing which I did was that I immediately started working without worrying too much about the accident.
What should you do in similar event
What I learnt and what I would suggest is that, to always speak the truth and do not hide or give any excuses. At the end of the day, it will always make you feel less embarrassed. Do not think much about it and keep yourself busy for next few days. Within couple of days you would be back to normal routine, respecting and thanking God for this precious life.
But why did it happen to me
I firmly believe in Karma. I always keep a check on my Karma count. Most of the times I know why few things happened to me. But as of now, I don’t know why this embarrassing event happened to me. Some things are bound to happen because they are written. When the time will come, you will come to know the reason. Till that time celebrate that you are still alive.
Connecting the dots
Steve Jobs once said in one of his famous speech, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. When I was about to leave the office with my towed vehicle, the security officer said - Sir, its okay. Look it at this way - You have contributed in keeping the job alive, of the security team, janitors, insurance inspection officers and many other people. You have helped in improving the economy of US in one of the most tiniest and rarest form. Your loss could be someones gain. So be happy because you have made someone else happy indirectly and unknowingly.
And finally how has it changed my life.
Life is always good in teaching you lessons which you are never really interested to learn. I don’t mind making driving mistakes (not this big) as long as I learn new things from it. But this was such kind of horrifying accident from which I didn’t learn anything except to never park in front of a office or a glass window. But it still taught me few important things.
1. Always be happy and satisfied. It takes one accident and a second to lose everything.
2. Be polite to people who make mistakes. One kind word can change someones life.
3. Speak truth and don’t hide anything or give any excuses. It will make you feel more courageous.
4. Get involved in things you love and time will heal all the scars.
5. As long as it was unintentional, don’t waste your energy in feeling sad or sorry. Everything happens for a reason. If you are lucky, you will come to know the reason.
6. I cannot park at the same place again because I cannot pull courage to go there. Now imagine if I would have hurt someone physically. I would have never able to forgive myself. Respect life.
My driving history
I started driving cycle on road from the year 1996. Then I started driving motorbike in the year 2000. After 15 years of driving 2 wheeler, I thought I should start driving a car. So I purchased my first car in 2011. Don’t get excited, it’s a used car. In these 15 years, I have had 2 accidents. First accident was in India, when a car hit me from side while I was driving a motorbike. And this was my second accident. Fortunately the car was still in very good and driving condition.
About the Author
I am just another Perl programmer, Linux Lover and a passionately curious user. When I was a toddler, I used to love writing poems and articles for newspapers. Then Internet kicked in. The passion for writing got lost in downloading MP3s, chatting, Orkut, then Facebook and Twitter, some blogging and website development. My blogging was mostly technical and website was purely experimental. Neither of them lasted long. But here I am again after many years, feeling motivated to again start blogging on something different and for a good reason.
