Have you ever had someone ask you a question and before you can finish the answer, they have either asked another question or rudely just walked away. You asked me the question and now you don’t have the half a minute it takes to listen to the answer, that blows my mind.

The other day, Mike went to the grocery store for me while I was sick (again). He came home with two boxes of crackers, the kinds we don’t eat and a bag of cookies that look, frankly, inedible. I inquired to why he made such purchases. He replied that he did not pick them out.

Then he remembered that the person behind him at the check out was in such a hurry they started putting their items on the conveyor belt before there was room. Their items must have fallen over the divider onto our items. The person also proceeded to ram into Mike twice with their cart.

They must have thought that would somehow save them some precious moments in their day. But it didn’t and they almost got a karate chop to the throat for being so annoying.

What are the tailgaters thinking? Man, am I making time by being right on this person’s bumper with no room for an unexpected situation. I’m saving time while I put myself and others at risk. Many have forgotten just how dangerous automobiles are. They are made of steel and glass not cotton balls and marshmallows. When they crash, it is a very serious situation.

Just now on the way home from work, a car in front of me was turning left and the oncoming traffic was stopped. A car motioned for the car in front of me to go through. Apparently, the car in front of me did not go fast enough because the other driver starts swearing out the window. So much for doing a good deed.

We all have stories about these obviously super important people who do not have enough time in their day to obey laws or be civil. Many people do not even have the time to stop and tell a fellow human being thank you in a situation that calls for it. Ever hold the door for a person and they don’t even acknowledge the act. Sure, it’s not a big act but it deserves some courtesy. Imagine walking out the same door and not holding it. Can you imagine the indignant attitude that person would have for your rudeness. Happens every day.

I realize that Mayberry RFD is a thing of the past. I realize “the good old days” had their share of darkness but today our society pains me so badly. Luckily, I cannot find a way to support myself from home. Because if I could, I would never leave the fear and anxiety would grip me.

I feel the disrespect and lack of civility in general, literally, scares me. The idea that a person cannot spend an extra minute or two to let the person in front of them move, pains me. The fact that basic manners are becoming lost today only means to me that our society is degrading at an extremely high rate.

Without respect for life itself and the laws that bind a society together, it will just turn into lawlessness, thugs and chaos.

We live in a microwave world, where waiting for a minute to heat dinner is too long. We need instant gratification faster than instantly. Our storehouse of patience is dwindling faster and faster every day. Anger and distress are replacing the good things in life.

Taking a Sunday drive to nowhere is no longer fun. Going to a public event now comes with the threat that something bad could happen at any given time. No more friendly exchanges at the grocery store or post office.

Normally I try to stay positive but if people don’t start to change, our future looks grim. That truly scares me. Today I’m scared, hopefully tomorrow will be a more patient day for all of us. Patience is still a virtue and is part of what makes humans human and not animals.