My insurance company has this cool application I downloaded on my phone. It tracks my speed, the rate at which I take corners, decelerate and accelerate. I can receive between 5-25% of as a discount on my car insurance: a reward for good behaviour! As an added bonus, I get little pep talks and badges, congratulating me on my concerted efforts as a safe driver.
You track me and I get rewarded
My current score of 94 has me tracking for a 24% discount and I have to tell you, it feels like I’m a little kid working for a teachers gold star. As a fully grown mature adult, what I know, is this: I want money to stay in my pocket and not line the pockets of others. This opportunity, to save cash, is crazy to pass up, and I am taking full advantage of this fun little game of you-track-me-and-I-get-rewarded. In the long run, the insurance company and I both win. I have to pay insurance and they have to pay for accidents… this takes us both off the hook, provided that other people on the roads become or remain, carefully conscientious too. I want a higher score. Clearly there is room for improvement; a 25% discount is my goal. I will let you know how I do further on down the road. I like to push speed limits on the highway, so we shall see if I can keep up this good behaviour stuff.
Far more aware
Why am I telling you all this, you ask? Because I feel watched, and it is making me aware of my every turn, my timing, when I need to slow down and how quickly or perhaps, how slowly, I need to accelerate. I feel governed, and for many reasons, I like it. There are stop signs and green lights, yellows that have me slow down. Speed limits vary and of a sudden, I am far more aware than I have been for quite some time and of course, of course, dear reader, this story of mine is about life… how we can miss the signs, take a turn too quickly and then bam, accidentally run into someone or something that can change our lives for an eternity or at the very least, for the rest of our days here on earth.
While my actions are being governed, I realize that my sense of self-control and discipline are being refined. I also realize that while being tracked, while someone is watching me, I recognize that Someone, really is watching me, tracking my every move and measuring me against his standards. Do I slow down and notice others? Am I kind and generous with those in need? Do I run over people quickly, cutting corners, to get to my destination with a disregard for the deep tracks I leave behind? Am I aware of my impact?
Thursday February 14th, 2019
This got me thinking
I was in a car with friends last night, and I shared that I had this insurance app on my phone. The driver asked if the app was tracking his driving? I hadn’t thought of that, and when I looked, there it was, an activated little car, making its way across town on my phone screen. The driver thought it would be funny to take corners with speed, to turn sharply, to playfully jeopardize my current excellent driving record. We joked about this, how he could mess me up this way. The application creators had fortunately thought of this too, and I could dismiss the trip, by saying I was a passenger.
Cheating is what ruins our purity
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| You are being tracked |
I could always say I was a passenger, when I didn’t “behave” according to their discount standards on certain trips. The mind, it is wiley, isn’t it dear one? Cheating is what ruins our purity: while we are always being watched, it does not mean we will hold ourselves accountable, in fact, it means we often find devious ways to do as we please, become accustomed to not getting caught, and complain when we are! The thing is, checks and balances are built into most systems and whether or not we want to be held accountable, some how or other, we always are; what we do has a way of catching up to us.
Gods presence governs my being
I have a heightened sense of awareness these days. A hyper vigilance minus paranoia. You know that paranoid feeling you have when a police officer is driving behind you, that you could get pulled over at any moment? I don’t have that, I have this sense that I am being guided by a trusted hand: Gods presence governs my being and it brings me a soothing confidence and peace. It feels like I am never alone and this is an astounding gift to me.
For my own prosperity
Being governed, for my own benefit, for my own prosperity and wellness, is not a sacrifice, in fact, the sacrifice was made for me. Someone was perfect and modelled this long ago, offering me life abundant. I freely, willfully, choose to accept every gift this Governor has for me. What about you?
Someone is always watching you, what does he see?
