Common Courtesy
Volume 8: Not so common
Good evening, I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and enjoyed some down time.
Our family has a Thanksgiving Day Tradition as I am sure many of you do. We head to our local Waffle House for breakfast (Love me some Pecan Waffles!!!), and leave an extra nice tip for our server to thank them for working on Thanksgiving. My wife Sherri and me have worked many a holidays when we were servers. If you’ve never been to a Waffle House I can share with you that there is very little space to wait for a table. Our wait was brief, but shortly after we were seated, there were several parties that entered. At the booth directly behind us was a single gentleman who had yet to order. Seeing that there were by now 4 groups of folks waiting for a table, his server asked him if he’s mind moving to a solo seat at the counter. He refused. He actually said no. I had to make sure my Velcro was keeping me from leaping from my booth as I just couldn’t understand why someone would not choose to be courteous, on Thanksgiving, and especially for a family to sit at a booth and have conversation be easier. Now I realize “everyone is going through something”, but come on, it’s a freaking seat at Waffle House, not first class on a NYC to LA non-stop. I once gave up an aisle seat on a plane for a middle seat so a couple could sit together, I was not asked, but knew I’d want someone to do that for me and Sherri.
Then of course, I get into my own thoughts regarding common courtesy, and where has it gone? The list starts downloading like an app update in my brain, and it’s a pretty large update.
And off we go……………….
Why do able bodied people not return their shopping carts? I have never understood this one. It’s pretty damn easy, you have several return spots in the store parking lot. It’s not like they ask you to clean it, give it an oil change and a tire rotation, just return it! And not even “all the way back” to the store.
See the excerpt from Wikipedia Shopping Cart Theory:
The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore, the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it.
No one will punish you for not returning the shopping cart, no one will fine you, or kill you for not returning the shopping cart. You gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct. The Shopping Cart Theory, therefore, is a great litmus test on whether a person is a good or bad member of society.
Entire link here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart_theory
I do agree with “no one will punish you”, but personally, I will say, “dude” or “seriously”, much to my wife’s chagrin. The same person who leaves their shopping cart will be the first to be pissed when their desired parking spot is hampered by, you guessed it, a shopping cart someone else left behind.
Did y’all learn the elevator rule as a kid? You let people out, before you barge in. Yet, it is still a baffling process for many adults, let alone children.
Or how about lane merging? In kindergarten we were taught to merge, “one at a time” every other person. Yet, this seems to be lost on drivers, and don’t get me started on the “I’m driving on the shoulder so someone will let me in” people. How much faster will you get there?
Holding doors, saying excuse me and thank you. Asking, “do you mind if I smoke” (I want to say if you are on fire I guess you have to), or vape!! Vaping is smoking, please don’t do it in my house or at the store. I don’t need to hear your music, or the movie you are watching on your device, or Lord have mercy, an argument with an ex on speaker! If you can afford a phone, you can afford headphones. These are just a few more examples of what we have started to take for granted.
The funniest one that 99% of people actually do is ask, “do you mind if I use your bathroom’? I mean, is there another option?
If all of us could start to practice these common courtesies, just think how much nicer everyone’s day would be. It’s not hard, it just takes a beat, to stop and do something nice.
Reminds me of an Elvis Costello song:
What’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding…………
As always, thank you for reading, share with friends and your colleagues.
Be kind to everyone you meet…………Andrew
Now
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart_theory