Surely I’m not the only one that has noticed: Some people are just mean.
We see it everywhere. At the store, in a restaurant, at the airport and don’t even get me started on social media.
Has it gotten worse or am I just noticing it more?
The inspiration for this column came when I was talking to my wife yesterday after she got home from work.
For those that don’t know, my wife is a paramedic and she sees some sights on any given shift. I realize that a paramedic is probably seeing you on one of your worst days but sometimes I just have to shake my head at what she and her colleagues have to deal with on an almost daily basis.
She told me about this one patient that was just so mean. No matter what question she asked, she got attitude. She was just trying to help this man but no matter what she asked him, or how she asked it, he was just mean. Here’s someone trying to help you and you don’t have the decency to treat them like a human being?
She showed me a post from a friend who is a nurse. At her shift Friday she was kicked and hit multiple times while dealing with angry patients. She was trying to help a beautiful Nana who was having a heart attack while being yelled at by another patient because there was no cheese on her turkey sandwich.
I often wonder: What makes people so mean? I don’t think you’re born like that.
I do understand that there is a serious mental health problem in this country and if that’s the reason for some people, while I may not like it, I can understand it.
But what about all the other mean people?
If you are suffering from chronic pain, I can also understand how that could make you miserable. I live with pain every day but I always try not to take it out on other people. Just because I might be having a bad day, that’s no reason to take it out on you.
I also see many people with an incredible sense of entitlement. Whether they think they’re better than you or wealthier than you, they somehow think they are entitled to better service, a better place in line or special treatment. Ummm that’s a firm “No” on that! Chances are they observed that growing up and they think that behavior is acceptable.
I’ve seen people be rude to servers in a restaurant or a clerk at a store because they want something and they want it NOW! “It’s your job to serve me so I’m going to tell you how to do it! And you better be quick about it and get it right the first time!”
Why are people like this?
Maybe they have been wronged somehow in their life and they are bound and determined that won’t happen again.
Maybe they are struggling with something and you just happen to be the lucky person they’re going to take it out on.
Maybe they weren’t loved or taught how to be a decent person so they just behave the way they’ve always seen over the years.
Maybe they just don’t know any better.
I’m often reminded of the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
I read another great quote recently that I’m really trying to use in my life.
“Accept things for what they are not what you think they should be”
How true is that?
You may not like the way a situation develops but that’s what it is! You can accept it for what it is, or you can get angry about how you think it should be.
Again, I’m probably “preaching to the choir.” I seriously doubt the people that need to see this are going to read it and say, “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t do that. I’ll change my ways.”
The only thing I can do is just try and control my own little corner of the world. I try to be nice. I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. It’s unfortunate that when I do, the servers, clerks or medical professionals I come in contact with seem to be surprised I’m being nice to them.
It shouldn’t be that way.
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