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Is it me, or is there no common courtesy left in this world? Not only do I see less of it every day, but I see it be replaced by impatience, disrespect and plain rudeness. And where is everyone rushing to? Road rage is at an all-time high, fatal car accidents are on every corner. It seems we're all too blind to realize how easily we can change our interactions for the better if we simply...slow down. Give the other person the benefit of a doubt, a little bit of space and a simple "thank you" once in awhile and you'll be surprised with the results.

I try to be nice in all of my interactions. However, as of late I have been disappointed by how uncooperative everyone is to this " do unto others..." concept. Apparently, receiving a "good morning" back from someone is asking entirely too much of them, even if you work with these people every single day. Forget holding doors open or helping someone cross the street.

Standing in line at the store the other day, I was watching how the young cashier kept making mistake after mistake when trying to print the customer's receipt. Mind you, this person had excellent manners and apologized several times to the two women who were becoming more aggravated by the second. They didn't bother to respond to his apologies once, kept rolling their eyes and became visibly agitated in, literally, seconds. This situation could have been so easily resolved if only these women would have given this poor cashier a little courtesy. Instead, they chose to make a scene out of it and call the manager who couldn't do much more for them than the cashier could. All that happened is get the other customers upset because they were holding up the line. It was sad to watch the employee's face. He was clearly embarrassed and I'm sure he just wished the ground would open up and swallow him, yet he had to stand there and face these women who became more and more vicious, calling him names and yelling. How unfortunate that we choose to inflict such negative feelings on others rather than a few seconds of our time. Am I crazy? A few seconds is nothing, right?

When I smile at someone or hold a door open for them, I think to myself "what if I'm the only one who was nice to this person today?". No, I don't have a halo over my head and I'm no mother Theresa - far from it - but what IF i am the only person who smiled at them today? I think we've all become so used to the rude and self-centered society that we live in, that when someone does make a nice gesture or smiles at us for no reason at all, we're surprised. I've seen it on many people's faces. It catches them by surprise, that someone is nice to them for no reason at all. Maybe that's one of the reasons they don't respond.

Driving is becoming an increasingly scary experience for me. Why is everyone in such a rush to die? 'Cause that's where a lot of aggressive drivers end up. Many road-ragers end up shot at a stop light. Old ladies die in the intersection because some young punk didn't have the patience to wait ten more seconds after the light turned green. He was late for his "cool guy" haircut. This is upsetting and I wonder if we'll ever be able to find that tolerance we all have the ability to practice again.

It doesn't take much to be a little more laid back. Say thank you to people who provide a service for you. Respond to a smile. Allow someone to make a mistake without crucifying them for it. Soon you'll walk around feeling a little more relaxed. People forget that when they practice goodness, it inadvertently changes them for the better and when they slow down a little, they get to enjoy life a little more. And that's what it's all about...slowing down to smell the roses.

Learn more about this author, Irina Diaconescu.
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