I’m going to be completely honest here, even if it paints me in a bad light.  In this age of tolerance, I am becoming intolerant.  I see all these bumper stickers that say “coexist” but those are the same cars tailgating and cutting off other drivers.  I see t shirts that say “all we need is Love” being worn by people who are impatient with older citizens and who yell at service workers.  I hear the words being spoken that we must all be tolerant of everyone else while no one is tolerant in what I believe.  I hate to say it, but all this blathering on and quoting John Lennon is just hot air.  I know there are people who are trying to make the world a better place.  All I want to know is where they are at. We need you!

i just came home from the laundromat as mad as I have been in a while.  I am trying to teach myself that rudeness is all around and the only thing I have in my arsenal is tolerance and empathy.  But that did not cut it today.  The place was full of unsupervised yelling children.  One child decided it was ok to get on the folding table and walk on my clean clothes.  Where was the mother you ask, on the other side of the room on her phone.  Meanwhile her spawn is wrecking the place with the other feral kids.

My mind wonders what in the world they are going to be like when they become adults.  Then there are the entitled ones who expect you to cater to their every whim.  I’m intolerant of both sides of that spectrum.  I’m intolerant of the parents ignorant behavior.  Believe me, I can only imagine what it takes to be a parent, I don’t envy the job.  I will have empathy for those who are at least trying to teach, if not manners, at least boundaries.

But then I see all the adults around who have very little regard for anyone but themselves and I totally understand where the children learn these behaviors.  I am at a loss.  I cannot understand the thought process that, for example, let’s a parent place a baby on an expensive piece of art so they can take a picture. Happened just the other day.  Or the parent that allows their offspring to throw rocks at glass art that is someone’s property.  I’m intolerant of the lack of respect.  In reality, it comes down to us…the adults.  I cannot really blame a child for bad behavior.

This post is not really about rude children as it is about where we as a society are heading.  There is more and more anger.  Everyone is constantly in a hurry to yet another event.  Money is tight and advertising still pushes us to buy more and more. We have to make a date with ourselves to relax. But then we can’t because there is always more to do.  We are all going to collectively snap one day.  Tensions are so high and manners take too much effort.  But it’s manners that make us human. What are we going to do?  I don’t know, but I’m tired of all the attitude.

Its easy to say coexist but it’s an entirely different world to live it. I thought by trying to ignore or accept it that I could live with it.  I was wrong.  I cannot tolerate bad behavior as a way to get through the day.  I hate that I don’t have the answer.  But I’m really done accepting it.  When a child I didn’t even know decided to get up on a table and walk across my freshly washed laundry, I declared war on bad manners and ignorance of such things.

All I can say is that it’s on!  I have no idea what I’m going to do, but accepting it is no longer an option!