Sometimes I sit back and wonder where did decency go in the world? Are we all too rushed that we can’t take a minute to slow down, be courteous, hold a door, say thank you, or even just smile at a passing stranger? Actually I wonder the same thing about people we know, not just strangers! Many people I know comment on how since i am from NY i must be used to the rudeness, well let me tell you it’s not really rudeness in NY. It’s more people are busy and so it may seem rushed but typically they will hold a door, they will say your welcome and in fact they may even smile as they zoom past you!
In the past week or so I have wanted several times a reset button, and today AGAIN was one of those days. I started the deary morning as my usual cheery self, despite not a ounce of sunshine in the sky. After my comedy of errors over the weekend (which I will not detail for you) I was really no worse for the wear and in fact I squeezed out more than a few good moments EVERY day. Yes folks even in the dark clouds I can try to find that ounce of sunshine. So I made my breakfast, made my coffee, packed some snacks and off I went. I got the kind text message from a friend about the return of the pumpkin spice latte that made me smile, and as much as I hate the traffic I said “oh well it’s the first day back for so many and it’s raining.” I continued along my way, and BAM was rear-ended by a car. Thinking back to that moment I was so sure the driver was going to stop I didn’t even think being hit was a possibility. We weren’t going fast, I was slowing down, came to a stop, and BOOM, CRACK, under my car the little Honda Civic went. I guess the shining light in this incident was no one was hurt, except for the poor cars. The driver was nice enough, accepted blame, apologized, exchanged info, and off we went. Both my insurance company and the drivers have so far handled everything well. We will see when I bring my car in how much damage was done.
But I think to myself perhaps if the driver was paying attention this wouldn’t have happened. Or if the driver just slowed down sooner. But again it goes back to human decency and the lack of awareness others seem to have about their surroundings.
I just googled human decency and over 1,440,000 results came back! I guess I am not the only one that wonders where it’s gone.
Even in the work world I sometimes scratch my head and think “would your mother approve of what you just did’? I bet if more people asked themselves the question of “would I do this to my parent? my child? my best friend?” people would have a bit more human decency!
Are too many of us wrapped up in this digital age that we have lost the ability to interact outside of a computer? Do we not know how to introduce our self to someone we meet along the way? I guess I am typically seen as the smiley, happy, friendly person because I make an effort to just be nice. I will tell you from my own experiences it’s not that hard. Think of how nice it feels for someone to reach out and say “Hi, have a great day” or “Hi, how are you?” and actually mean it.
So my readers, do you wonder what’s happened to human decency? What do you do to contribute to a positive atmosphere? What can you do differently to make a difference?
Thirty-Something Lindy 