Why do people do that?!
Ok, I don't claim to me a perfect person. I don't even claim to be an almost perfect person. However, I do claim to try at all times to take others into account when I do something. I try to think of others feelings and reactions when I do something. It seems I am the only one who does this.
I have a job where I am on the phone all day. This is ok, it also means I can be on the internet all day. I answer phones, attempt troubleshooting, and dispatch techs. I have a wonderful feature on my phone called a mute button. If I ever have to cough or sneeze, I can push this button and the person on the other end need never know that I just covered my computer screen with half of my gray matter. I try to be considerate about the fact that my amplified voice is right in their ear and even my breathing is going to be heard on a high volume scale. Why do people think that chewing gum or eating their lunch is a pleasant sound when amplified through phone lines? When people yell and swear at me, I smile and ignore it. When I hear someone *smack, popping* gum in my ear, it makes me want to hang up the phone on them until they can learn some common courtesy.
Driving. It is fun, it is quick, it is essential for purposes of getting from point A to point B, and for high schoolers, where else would they schtump? There are a number of places that I drive on an almost daily basis that have a 'lane ending, please merge' spot. I start out in the lane that is constant, and people deliberately get into the ending lane, speed up and then cut me off at the last second. Sometimes there is up to 5 people all trying desperately to get in front of me before the lane ends in 50 feet. I don't budge. If they are cutting me off, I don't change my speed, I make them work for passing me safely. If I were to slam on my brakes like they wanted me to, I would be putting myself and those behind me at risk of an accident. Someone almost hit me the other day because they started to merge without looking. I was right next to them, it was solid traffic, I had no where to go even if I wanted to. I ended up honking to get his attention before he hit me, he swerves back into his lane, then flicks me off! How am I the bad guy here? I saved him from a ticket, embarrassment and having to pay for my car to get repaired (not to mention his), and he flicks me off as though it was my fault that he was a blind and inconsiderate jackass.
I am constantly online. It is the main way people have of getting in touch with me, mainly through email. And being that I have a char-broiled pc at home and not a lot of phone available time, I do the majority of my contacting from work and email. When someone emails me, even if I have nothing to respond to in the email, I still like to respond, just to let the other person know that I received it. This is a huge peeve of mine. If I send out a plain old email with no questions in it, I don't mind when I don't hear back from the recepient. However, I often send out emails that have questions, ideas, and other things that would warrant a response. I honestly can't put into words how annoying it is to not hear back from people when I send them something asking them questions. I have put time and effort into requesting information, and I don't even get so much as a note saying that they got it. How annoying is that!?
Ok, this bit is just one of those things that pops into my head sometimes. How do you know which side to hug? Most people who aren't in a relationship hug one arm up, one arm down. This puts one shoulder up and one down. However, interestingly enough, most people subconsciously angle their head/neck to go right into their hugging partner's shoulder, the one that is at an awkward angle. This is something that flits through my thoughts when I hug people, because even as I have made myself aware of this interesting anomoly, I still find myself watching that uncomfortable shoulder angle looming nearer as I hug my friends. And once you are in motion, headed toward the hug, you can't change course! Even if you realize that this hug is dangerous, the shoulder of doom heading right at your throat, you must keep going! Most often, by the time you have the realization that the hug is headed for that situation, you are too close to divert to the other shoulder. You would either look like you have changed your mind about hugging the person, or it looks like you are trying to turn this into a hug/kiss combo. While this may be a positive segway to a future romantic relationship, it could also turn nasty! We need hug rules!
I just don't understand why courtesy isn't common. How much effort does it truly take to think of the other person? I'm the first to admit that I was a nasty and selfish teenager, so I am not including teenagers in this rant. Teenagers have enough angst and problems, they can barely think for themselves, let alone having others in mind also. However, those who have left those teen years behind them have little to no excuse I think. I only just turned twenty-five but I have been trying to be considerate and caring towards fellow human beings for years. Is it so difficult for people to understand that they are not the center of the universe? I understand that people get caught up in their own problems, but that is no reason to be rude. Hey, let me listen to your problems, no need to crash into my car. Want a shoulder to cry on? I've got one, but please don't chew gum in my ear. What happened to the Golden Rule? Do unto others ... ring a bell? For those who like it simplified, "Treat me like you want me to treat you". Another way to put it is :
Do what thou wilt, an it harm none
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