On the Rule of the Road Summary

Introduction

The topic "On the Rule of the Road Summary" can be considered as "prose," this prose is written by a British writer "Alfred George Gardiner" and published under the name "Alpha of the Plough," this essay On the Rule of the Road, comprised in one of A.G. Gardiner's titled "Leaves in the Wind." A.G. Gardiner's prose or essays are graceful, humorous, and elegant, and they are written in "The Polish" language; his greatness is that he presents the basic truth of real life in an amusing manner. He wrote these essays when the war was going on in the world. In this article, we will know the summary of this essay.

Explanation

In his essay "On the Rule of the Road," A.G Gardiner reflects the concept of liberty and the role of liberty in understanding and developing social order. He starts this essay by describing an incident witnessed by him in Petrograd (now renamed Saint Petersburg in Russia); he saw that an old lady was walking in the middle of the road or street that caused confusion and danger to her and other drivers and pedestrians. When someone tells her that the pavement is a place for pedestrians, she replies that "I'm going to walk where I want to walk. We got liberty now." The writer used this phrase to illustrate the danger of that person being "liberty-drunk" and forgetting that personal liberty must be in balance with the liberty of the people's lives in society.

Then the writer gives another example of a policeman giving directions to traffic in Piccadilly Circus in London (it is a phrase used to express a place or a situation that is extremely busy or crowded with people). Some people may think that the actions done by policemen are breaching the liberty of persons. But the writer says that here the policeman is actually the symbol of liberty; he argues that the action of a policeman is maintaining social order and safety on the road. Because if the policeman does not intervene in the actions of traffic on the road, chaos will be everywhere, and the liberty of everyone will be threatened. The writer says that the liberty of individuals must be curtailed to maintain the liberty of all.

The writer (A.G. Gardiner) then expands this argument of liberty to show that liberty is not just a personal matter, but it is to maintain social liberty; he says that an individual is free to do anything he/she likes unless that does not affect the liberty of others liberty. He also gives examples, such that if anyone wants to dye his hair, wants to go to bed late at night and wake up early in the morning, or wants to wax his mustaches (which, heavens forbid), he/she shall follow his/her fantasies, they do not need anyone's permission to do that. But, he says as soon as the liberty of the individual starts to disturb the liberty of people/ society, it becomes a concern for social order; he also illustrates this by giving an example, if someone wants to practice playing the trombone, they can practice whenever they want. If they want to practice till 3 A.M. or practice on Everest, they can do it. But, if he/she practices in his bedroom at midnight, their family member's liberty will be disturbed; if he practices this in the streets, the liberty of the neighborhood to sleep in quiet will be disturbed.

The writer, A.G. Gardiner, emphasized that we must consider the feelings and rights of others to form a foundation of social conduct; he says that it seems very small, but everyday interaction with people and try not to disturb their liberty whether they are civilized or uncivilized. He says that the liberty of an individual must be in balance with the needs of greater society to ensure social safety and order; without this balance, the liberty of the individual will only lead to chaos and anarchy.

He concluded this essay by reminding readers that it is the little habits of commonplace intercourse that make up the great sum of life and determine whether the journey of life is bitter or sweet, by considering others' feelings and social order; people can ensure that their life will be pleasant and fulfilling one.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that the essay "On the Rule of the Road" is trying to make us understand the balance between the liberty of an individual and the social order. He used some examples to show that liberty-drunk persons are a threat to society, and in order to maintain the social order and liberty of all, we must consider the fillings of others and not interfere with their liberties.