david's thoughts about driving in india

as anyone who has been here knows, the driving in india is pretty crazy... cars seem to drive on the wrong side of the road, merge haphazardly, cut horizontally across five lanes of traffic, no lane holding at all, horns constantly (meaning: hello, here I come, watch out, etc. depending on the situation) etc. at first, it is a bit nerve-wracking to go down the road... but, as david observed there are almost no near-misses at all. he has these theories so far as to why:
1. indians have a very different spatial awareness -- they seem to be able to pass by each other by foot, motorcycle, car, auto rickshaw, bicycle, etc. and to squeeze through incredible spaces (so many vehicles keep moving through bottlenecks that it would take americans hours and hours to move through).
2. the culture makes it possible -- there seems to be a deep, genuine desire for other people's happiness and well-being. to not create stress or unhappiness in others. and so there is allowance and tolerance for things like sharing, not having to be right all the time, etc.

p.s. one of my favorite things so far is the gentle head wiggle with a smile, which means something to the effect of "yes, yes, it's good, it's blissful, that's right, I agree." it's so sweet!