Another follow-on, with another of my "rants" :))
For many years I have struggled constantly with "the Stupidity!" of people.
For many years I have struggled constantly with "the Stupidity!" of people.
... Yes, thats "stupidity" with a capital "S"!!
It seemed to me that the vast majority of people do a huge number of things that are grossly inconsiderate to others and which are completely and easily avoidable...
Like having a chat with someone in the middle of a doorway or hallway and blocking everyone elses path. Or smoking upwind instead of downwind of non-smokers. Or not having made their decision about what movie they want to see when they get to the front of a line-up etc... Just really simple common-sense things that seem so obvious to me!
But.... When I do it, Ive always felt bad about thinking poorly of other people...
It seemed to me that the vast majority of people do a huge number of things that are grossly inconsiderate to others and which are completely and easily avoidable...
Like having a chat with someone in the middle of a doorway or hallway and blocking everyone elses path. Or smoking upwind instead of downwind of non-smokers. Or not having made their decision about what movie they want to see when they get to the front of a line-up etc... Just really simple common-sense things that seem so obvious to me!
But.... When I do it, Ive always felt bad about thinking poorly of other people...
Surely they are are not really stupid... They cant be!... Its just my impatience...
... Or, there are other reasons for it that I just cant see...
Why would people be so inconsiderate to others when the world would work so much more effectively if people just paid a little more attention to what was going on around them etc...
But, try as I might, I could see no reason to justify why people who were otherwise very bright individuals would do such thoughtless things so consistently... Sure, I do some similarly thoughtless things from time to time, but some people just seem to do it constantly ... and they get REALLY indignant if you try to point it out to them too!
And that apparent "thoughtlessness" isn't limited to simple things of course, it pervades all aspects of life and in far more complex and subtle ways too... And the simple acts of thoughtlessness blend into acts of anonymous obstructiveness... and on into downright maliciousness etc. And they make the world a far more difficult place with far more stresses for everyone than I think it needs to be...
... Or, there are other reasons for it that I just cant see...
Why would people be so inconsiderate to others when the world would work so much more effectively if people just paid a little more attention to what was going on around them etc...
But, try as I might, I could see no reason to justify why people who were otherwise very bright individuals would do such thoughtless things so consistently... Sure, I do some similarly thoughtless things from time to time, but some people just seem to do it constantly ... and they get REALLY indignant if you try to point it out to them too!
And that apparent "thoughtlessness" isn't limited to simple things of course, it pervades all aspects of life and in far more complex and subtle ways too... And the simple acts of thoughtlessness blend into acts of anonymous obstructiveness... and on into downright maliciousness etc. And they make the world a far more difficult place with far more stresses for everyone than I think it needs to be...
And Ive struggled long and hard with these things too...
And again, Ive been thinking about it all as I wander along my way... Wondering why and wondering what could be changed or how it could be different... And again, it comes back to my simple little list of "Guidelines"... Pay attention, be respectful, be generous... and essentially "Dont Screw others over for your own benefit!" :))
But people just dont!...
Its as if they didnt learn to be nice or to share properly in Kindergarten or something...
Its like the whole world is suffering from a sort of "Arrested Development"!
And thats really actually what I think is going on.
We think of ourselves as adults after some point because we're old enough to drive a car and buy cigarettes or alcohol etc... But we're not really are we?... We're all just little kids in old bodies...
Weve got the full set of responsibilities of an adult but it seems clear that we dont have the full set of social skills... Were more like adolescents... or in some cases juveniles!
... And thats the only way Ive found that allows me to cope...
Looking at us all as just a bunch of "Little Children".
Otherwise, when I see people doing all these inconsiderate and destructive things to the world and to each other, I find I get really disappointed and angry...
But when I see us all as children who simply havnt learned the basics of living together with others in a considerate way...Then it all makes sense... All the corruption...All the violence... All the acts of pure selfishness and obstructiveness to others...
All so easily avoided if wed just grow up a little and pay a little more attention to whats going on around us and to cause-effect!
So, thats how I find Im looking at us all these days... And I find it helps me think kindly thoughts rather than negative ones :))
And so, Im stuck in a world of little children... And indeed, I must be one too!
Not much I can do about that other than try to do better...
Yes, Its time to grow up! :))
And again, Ive been thinking about it all as I wander along my way... Wondering why and wondering what could be changed or how it could be different... And again, it comes back to my simple little list of "Guidelines"... Pay attention, be respectful, be generous... and essentially "Dont Screw others over for your own benefit!" :))
But people just dont!...
Its as if they didnt learn to be nice or to share properly in Kindergarten or something...
Its like the whole world is suffering from a sort of "Arrested Development"!
And thats really actually what I think is going on.
We think of ourselves as adults after some point because we're old enough to drive a car and buy cigarettes or alcohol etc... But we're not really are we?... We're all just little kids in old bodies...
Weve got the full set of responsibilities of an adult but it seems clear that we dont have the full set of social skills... Were more like adolescents... or in some cases juveniles!
... And thats the only way Ive found that allows me to cope...
Looking at us all as just a bunch of "Little Children".
Otherwise, when I see people doing all these inconsiderate and destructive things to the world and to each other, I find I get really disappointed and angry...
But when I see us all as children who simply havnt learned the basics of living together with others in a considerate way...Then it all makes sense... All the corruption...All the violence... All the acts of pure selfishness and obstructiveness to others...
All so easily avoided if wed just grow up a little and pay a little more attention to whats going on around us and to cause-effect!
So, thats how I find Im looking at us all these days... And I find it helps me think kindly thoughts rather than negative ones :))
And so, Im stuck in a world of little children... And indeed, I must be one too!
Not much I can do about that other than try to do better...
Yes, Its time to grow up! :))
