A few lessons you can learn from Bangalore traffic

  •   Mon, Jun 29 2026
  •   By Fr Ajay Nelson D'Silva SJ

June 29, 2026

It's been about a month since my transfer from Mangalore to Bangalore. And one of the very first "teachers" you get introduced to in Bangalore city is not a human being at all—traffic! Here are a few lessons you can learn from Bangalore traffic:

1. Patience is not about passiveness but active waiting: When you are in Mangalore, many times, you get to reach your destination fast. In Bangalore, for the same 10 km ride, it may take up to an hour. The lesson here is that not everything moves according to your schedule. Patience is not wasting time but staying calm amidst time.

2. Life is about the journey, not just the destination: Most of the people on the road are interested only in reaching the destination. But everybody is equally stopped at the same signal. Traffic makes us realize that life is not just about destination but about the journey itself.

3. We are not the center of the universe: Each driver believes he is in the best lane. Each commuter feels his rush is special. Traffic teaches humility. You find out there are thousands more who have aspirations, deadlines, anxieties, and obligations similar to yours.

4. Control what you can, surrender what you cannot: You can set off earlier, choose a route, or tune into a good podcast. But you cannot eliminate a traffic jam through worrying about it. It is close to Ignatian Spirituality: use your freedom judiciously and surrender the rest to God.

5. Slow down and pay attention: Traffic can be transformed into a period of prayer, meditation, and observation. The poor man selling flowers, the little boy waiting for a bus, the worker returning on a bicycle – each one has a story to tell. Traffic can turn us into contemplatives through action.

6. Everybody is in a hurry: There is the impatient cyclist, the driver of the bus, the corporate executive, and the street vendor – they are all pilgrims. Traffic is a reminder to practice compassion, since everybody is loaded with invisible burdens.

7. Often God's time is different from our time: It happens that one leaves early but arrives late. Or leaves late and arrives in time. Life is full of surprises. From traffic we learn surrender – "I make the plans but God makes the roads."

Jesuit Reflection: Bangalore traffic can serve as a daily examen on wheels: Have I lost my peace? Have I been courteous? Have I honored other people? Have I made good use of the time spent in traffic? Have I encountered God in it?

Probably the most important lesson of all is this: "In Mangalore I have learned to go fast; in Bangalore I am learning to go deep." And who knows? Before Bangalore traffic finishes with me, I may turn into a more patient Jesuit, a better listener and a calmer pilgrim of hope.

 

 
By Fr Ajay Nelson D'Silva SJ
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