I am struck lately with an apparent abandonment of common courtesy among the general public. A simple trip to the grocery store is difficult enough for me, but made much more so by others who have no awareness of anyone elses presence in the world but their own. It does not require a college degree in physics to be cognizant of the simple fact that the average grocery aisle can easily accommodate two shopping carts side by side, thereby allowing easy passage of two individuals moving in opposite directions in the same aisle. Today, I did everything in my power to avoid another shopper who insisted on parking or pushing their cart dead center of every aisle they were in. Along with two other people, this person managed to block every other shopper in the store on EVERY - SINGLE - AISLE as they lumbered through the store three abreast with no apparent knowledge of what they were even there to buy. On four separate aisles I stood patiently waiting for this group to decide what brand or flavor of sugar, or grape-juice or laundry detergent they would eventually choose - and on two of those occasions they all looked directly at me and made no effort whatsoever to move a few inches to the left or right in order to allow me to pass. I had to turn around each time, go all the way around and enter the aisle from the other end in order to get to the items I wished to purchase. I tried skipping an aisle or two in order to avoid them after the first occurrence, but they kept magically reappearing in whatever aisle I moved to as if to purposefully create an obstacle course for me to deal with. Other shoppers were equally perturbed by this band of cretins, and at one point there was a traffic jam which extended for nearly the entire length of an aisle. I finally decided to backtrack to the greeting card aisle and browsed through the humorous cards section for about 10 or 15 minutes in order to allow this band of idiots an opportunity to block some other shoppers for a change. I then proceeded to complete my rounds unimpeded. For a while at least. I soon ran into a few others who had this same mental deficiency, unable to grasp the dynamics of passing shopping carts. We were taught in school to walk on the right hand side of the hallway. Driver education instructs us on how to drive on the right hand side of the road. Some countries use the left. But it is still one side. Not the middle. That would create a certain level of chaos, not to mention personal injury. Im not a picky person either. Left, right, doesnt matter. Just pick a freakin side! Not the middle! And if you see another shopper coming down the aisle, have the courtesy to move to one side or the other to allow them to pass. Especially if you are going to take 20 minutes to choose a brand of toothpaste. Keep your eyes open to the world around you and stop behaving as if you are the only person in the store! Needless to say, I made it out alive, unharmed and without slapping or insulting another human being. Then there was the process of getting out of the parking lot... But Ill save that one for another day. Common courtesy. It seems to be a vanishing art. Sad. We could really use a lot more of it these days. Instead there is a general sense of entitlement that turns smart people into jerks and stupid people into potentially dangerous fools. -Goodnight Universe.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:40:56 +0000
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