I walked past the duck pond the other day where I saw a guy push over a table that had just been set up then continue on his way. I picked up the table and scurried to catch up with him, heart racing with irritation. I spun him around as authoritatively as I could and asked him why he knocked down the table.
“Oh, because I’m an asshole,” he said, then smirked and walked away.
What could I do but agree with him wholeheartedly? It wasn’t the most satisfying confrontation and I couldn’t quell the burning feeling. How people can be so rude I’ll never understand. Even more so, how could anyone acknowledge and be proud of the fact?
I’m sure I’m not the only one who deals with rudeness almost every day. There are those who open a door for themselves and let it slam in your face as you trail behind. Others party-hop and get wasted on everyone else’s booze. Roommates leave you two sips of milk for cereal in the morning. A guy who bummed a cigarette from me then tucked it in a pack filled with other cigarettes before he jollily bid me good day and rode off on his bicycle.
Regardless of how deeply these pricks dig under one’s skin, it leaves one feeling vengeful, or annoyed at least. So many people go through life unaware or uncaring of how they affect those around them.
A friend of mine, a particularly aggressive driver, weaves through traffic in an imagined race toward the freeway. When she changes lanes she waits until she’s already between both lanes before she signals, if she bothers to signal at all.
As far as bad manners and inconsideration are concerned, she is not an exception. When did common courtesy become such a rarity, and, better yet, why?
Everybody is guilty of offending at least once in a while. We all have bad days, we can’t be perfect. But it seems to me many people don’t consciously consider anyone but themselves or the people who in some way contribute to their well-being. The problem is seemingly minor when you consider isolated instances, but add these up and you’ve got a daily bombardment wearing down your necessary ability to tolerate others.
Each instance takes a stab at my patience. As it diminishes, everything becomes aggravating and the world that was so beautiful when I rose out of bed grows loathsome as the day goes on.
The offenders reading this might think, “Sounds like a personal problem to me,” only they’re too self-centered to see that everyone affects each other. Anyone with a conscience might be able to imagine a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” scenario with any person they’ve offended and see how their actions come back at them.
Just think about how you feel when you’re in a stormy mood. A person laughing too loud could light your fuse. I don’t know anyone who isn’t negatively affected by careless behavior. In such instances, their mood affects their interactions with others who then continue to spread the negativity.
I would simply love to live among self-aware and considerate people who balance their needs with others’ and consider treating people the way they would like to be treated. How did people forget this elementary lesson once they became supposedly responsible, mature adults?
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