Strangers

I was waiting for a bus recently & both I and another woman politely gestured to eachother to get on first. We laughed - So British, although she was foreign. We had a really interesting conversation on the bus. An enjoyable brief encounter.

I was ushering at a theatre a while ago. I was standing still collecting for a charity at the end of a performance. People were exiting & the foyer was really crowded. An elderly woman pushed past me literally knocking me off my feet. Fortunately I didn't fall onto the ground because people supported me. I turned to see if she was OK & instead of apologising she looked daggers at me & indicated I was in the way.

Our interractions with strangers vary enormously. How we are treated often depends on how we treat others - Are we polite, do we smile? Or, do we behave as if what we want is the most important thing at that moment?

In my experience the latter is becoming more the norm. People are so focussed on their goals, their rights, that they lose sight of other people who have different priorities of equal importance.

I was talking to a young plumber today. He was telling me some of his experiences with clients whose behaviour left a lot to be desired. I can understand that clients may be stressed if they need a plumber, but that doesn't excuse verbal abuse.

Why have some strangers become so self absorbed? Why do people feel that it is OK to be rude, verbally or even physically aggressive? Why do many people seem to have lost their personal inhibitors that make for a properly functioning society which values others rights?

I don't know. I think that we are more insular. We live at a time when many relationships break down. Commitment to anything seems to be less. We want instant gratification. We are focussed more on rights than responsibilities. Social media allows people to say anything with impunity. There just seems to be more anger & less empathy. We seem to be losing our ability to be social animals in the real sense of putting others first or at least equal.

Not only does it take a village to raise a child. For society to function well it takes everyone to work for the common good & treat everyone with respect & caring. I don't see a lot of evidence of that today.