Have you ever had one of those epiphany moments when you realize that some people are just… not great at people?
I’ve been noticing this a lot lately (more an more in certain circumstances, to be honest…).
The people who “like” every free thing that I post from farmville (yeah, I’m one of THOSE people) but ignore any time that it would mean returning the favor… or anytime that what I post is anything other than “here is free crap”… I don’t care, frankly, if you don’t like anything I post… but if you are going to go to all the trouble of clicking “like” on the free crap… at least pretend to “like” something else just once, huh? All it does this way is come off feeling like the only thing I’m good for is free crap.
I know that 99.999999999% of the people on the road during drive time are way more important than I am. THEY have places to be. THEY have important lives. They are ENTIRELY too important to use their turn signals when they cut people off or change lanes. They don’t ACTUALLY have to sit through the WHOLE red light… only until they get tired of sitting there (Amandya and I saw one yesterday that sat through half of a red light… turned left across oncoming traffic onto another two direction road… HELLO… rules apply to everyone).
I ‘got’ to witness belligerence, arrogance and extremely rude behavior one day last week. There are times when I wish I were in a position to say something other than to try to guide this kind of behavior but there are people who don’t want to be guided and actually seem to be getting a lot out of the confrontation. It doesn’t matter if the belligerent people are in the right or not, they have the RIGHT be be snotty and rude and it is difficult to explain that you catch more flies with honey than with a steam roller. Really… You have to exist with these people in the world around you every day, what are you gaining in being downright mean to people? What is the benefit. The effort is great in maintaining the rudeness and it makes your life just as miserable as it makes everyone else.
There are really days that it is hard to get my head around what people are thinking…. if being first or right or privileged is really that important.
Is it? Is it worth wrecking your car or causing someone else to crash because you are in a thoughtless hurry… or getting a ticket (if there is ANY justice) for aggressive driving. Does it make you feel like a bigger person just because you’ve managed to have the last word or better yet to make someone feel like less of a person.
I will continue to drive defensively. I will continue to treat people like people. And you know what, I will continue to wear my Vibram’s FiveFingers shoes, my Eeyore shirt, and carry my backpack to work when I can because being gentle with myself (because despite What Not To Wear, there are times when padded shoulder straps and wearing comfortable stuff matters when you hurt more than not looking as stunning as everyone else who dress in jeans and a t-shirt. I will drink water out of the cooler rather than drinking water that doesn’t touch anyone else’s water and I will open the bathroom door with my butt rather than making such a fuss over never ever EVER touching door knobs that they wrap their whole hand and half their arms in paper towels because they might catch my un-cool cooties.
I will marvel at the fact that people are people and that it takes all kinds and I will try VERY HARD to always remember that everyone else if a person too and that they feel just has hurt at slights as I do. I will try very hard to not retaliate just because I could or just because it would make me feel temporarily justified.
I will get to whatever my destination is in my drive or in my day or in my life and maybe I will end up being just a little happier when I get there than the people who think they are the only ones who matter.
Forget It Drive On (FIDO)
A Figment Of Fitness 