I have to say, one of my biggest all-time gripes is people who are rude. Whether it's a speed demon cutting me off in traffic, a store clerk ignoring my request for help, or a teenager's roll of the eyes, it's all rude and impolite, and absolutely unnecessary.
I've never understood how it is that people can treat others so cavalierly, being dismissive or downright insulting, with no consideration for the other person's feelings. Do they get some kind of adrenaline boost out of it? Are they asocial personalities, with no feeling for others at all? Or are they just so narcissistic that they only care about themselves?
The world would be a much better place if people treated each other politely. Can you imagine a war starting if people said, "Oh, you're a Protestant? How interesting! Tell me about your beliefs," or "You need more land? We have a plot over here that's just sitting idle. Do move in!"
That may be a little simplistic, but honestly, if people always treated each other with respect, so many little disagreements would never have the chance to escalate into anything serious.
I've spent my life trying my best to be polite to everyone, regardless of how they treated me. "Take the high road," I told myself. "At least then you have nothing to feel guilty about, no matter how things turn out." And that's true, as far as it went.
Yet, when I'm treated rudely or unfairly, it causes stress and emotional fallout. And I find more and more often I'm asking myself, why should I suffer on the account of someone who clearly has no respect for me?
So I'm venturing one toe into the water of "well-deserved rudeness." I would never treat anyone disrespectfully just because I feel like it. But in the case where someone treats ME poorly first, for no good reason...then, I'm starting to think, all bets are off.
It's difficult to be rude, purposely, after a lifetime of polite. But in some cases, it seems warranted and more, it seems to be the only thing certain people understand.
But that's how wars start. Isn't it? Oy.
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