Aaarrgh.....people....

I can remember a time when I actually liked people..when I had that Anne Frank-ish belief that everybody was good, deep down in their soul. I wish I still felt that way, but over the years, it has become horribly apparent that most people are just dumb bastards.

You see these dumb bastards EVERYWHERE you go. They are the rude people blathering away on their cell phones. They are the morons who are behind the wheel of their car text messaging while attempting to drive. They are the putz driving in the car in front of you in the left lane who is going 32 miles per hour in a 55, and they are also the dumbass who's riding your butt while driving 65 miles per hour. Where the hell did all these dumb bastards come from??

Unfortunately, I've been dealing with the public for...sigh...almost 14 years at the various jobs I have had. For the past few years, I've seen soooooo many idiots while working at a pharmacy. I have witnessed an insane amount of lunatics and have dealt with their shenanigans on a daily basis. Just when I think I've "seen it all", my jaded heart is shocked. Some of the things people say make me wonder how they make it out of their house in the morning on their own. I've been yelled at, cussed at, and all the while, I wonder, 'How can people treat absolute strangers like crap?' It's appalling. I have never, ever, ever treated anyone like that my whole life. I think my parents would kick my butt if I did.

There was a time when the world had stopped. It was seven years ago, on a beautiful Tuesday morning. People were scurrying along, grabbing coffee on the way to work, jabbering on their cell phones...everyone was so preoccupied with their own existence. Early in the morning on September 11th, everything ceased. Our world had changed in an instant. At that moment, it didn't matter if people didn't get the correct coffee they ordered at Starbucks, or if the battery on their cell phone had died as they were waiting for an "important" call, or if they got a stain on their new suit. Everything was trivial. There no longer was such a thing as a "New York minute." Everything was in slow motion as those towers crumbled to the ground. And amazingly, people began helping people. My heart swelled as I watched countless newscasts about complete strangers helping others get to safety. If you were black, white, rich, poor..it didn't matter. In the midst of that horrific tragedy, something beautiful was rising from the ashes. People in this country banded together and they began to actually give a damn about each other.

Of course, as the years go on, I have noticed people returning to their old selfish ways...being inconsiderate of others. I've even heard someone once say how pathetic it was that it took our nation's most monumental tragedy for people to actually "be nice to one another," and sadly, I would agree. We shouldn't need something that devastating to remind us to live by the Golden Rule. Now if only others would agree...