Thoughts on Instinct and Conversion

[In September 2010, Bonnie and I had the privilege of spending a few weeks in England.  We enjoyed the visit tremendously, and had some great experiences.  Shortly after returning, I spoke at a stake fireside and shared thoughts related to one aspect of that trip and the lessons I learned from it.  This is a summary of that talk.]

Pinto station wagon, similar to my first
car – a 1973 model I drove through my
high school and college years

I recently had an experience that has given me much to think about.  I've been driving a car for over 37 years, and estimate that I have driven perhaps some 3 million miles during that time.  I've driven lots of different cars, but the fundamental aspects of driving have not changed much.  With minor variations on a given day, I have done the same things in the same way, time and time again, mile after mile.

I don't recall much of the experience of when I learned to drive (bless my mother's patient heart).  But it was interesting as an adult to help my children go through that time and watch their learning process.  Initially, for most new drivers, there is some degree of tentativeness and uncertainty, even trepidation and concern.  New drivers are so wonderfully cautious!  It seems that every action takes conscious thought – when do I lift my foot from the brake, how hard do I press the accelerator, when do I start the blinker, how sharply do I turn the wheel to make this corner, etc.  The effect is even greater if you watch someone learning to drive a standard transmission, where they have to coordinate pushing in the clutch, shifting the gears, letting out the clutch gradually, and applying just the proper acceleration at just the right time.