We all slowed down when the bus began to flash its lights and the stop sign moved into position. Three lanes of traffic came to a stop as small children began to descend its steps and walk to their waiting parents. I couldn't see how many children were leaving the bus but I guessed about 5 as I watched the bus jiggle and move with the eager footsteps of the children. It was taking a long time.
I looked around at all the cars stopped with me, wondering which jerk would honk their horn, which angry driver was muttering under their breath for the kids to hurry up already. Nobody made a sound, no breaks were being pumped. For a brief moment, the hostile, egocentric, drivers of Dallas restrained themselves out of their collective interest in these unknown childrens' welfare. How nice and peaceful.
I then began to wonder if these same patient drivers supported the war in Iraq or any war advocated by the Commander in Chief for that matter. Did they care about the welfare of the children in countries we invaded? Just as I was having these thoughts, I heard an NPR report about a school that had been bombed in Afghanistan. More children dead. How horrific. Isn't that awful to any human being? Shouldn't it be?
We all began to drive again and the people who were driving like jerks before had returned to their tailgaiting, cutting-off ways, and I continued on driving with my three, darling babies in the car. I couldn't help but wondered if they cared about my babies as they drove along carelessly. Maybe, unlike the bus with its flashing lights and its stop sign that forced us to notice its precious cargo, they can't see my babies. Just like the bombers didn't see the children huddled in their classroom.
Maybe it's not that we don't care. Maybe we need to be forced to pause. I would imagine many drivers would not stop for the school bus if it wasn't a law, if they wouldn't get a ticket for disobeying. Perhaps if our government encouraged diplomacy instead of war we might pause enough to care.
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