Have you ever caught yourself thinking, "When did our society get so rude?"
So much of that rudeness can be attributed locally to the lack of random acts of kindness in Berks County. Simple solutions - such as holding the door open for people or letting others have the right of way in traffic - may contribute to making life kinder.
Traffic. That one word can explain why one is late to something important, why driving to places takes longer than it should and why so many deaths happen while in cars. But what if we all took turns, like we - hopefully - learned in kindergarten? If my kindergarten teacher saw me doing that, she'd be pleased that her life lessons stuck!
Sometimes, at a bookstore, I go to pay and - bam! I'm hit with it. The good old, "You're a teenager, so I don't have to be respectful even though you're paying my paycheck" glare. The employee rings up my purchase and takes my money without ever saying a single word. Sometimes she's talking to the person in line behind me!
When people don't say anything when I go out of my way for them, or when they walk in front of me when I'm shopping, it's annoying because it's thoughtless. Self-control (a form of which is thoughtfulness) is something we all should use. What if we all took a little bit of time to be kinder to each other, and made every shopper feel like she matters? What if we put off that "important" conversation to treat people with respect?
If we stopped for just a few minutes and thought, took turns and treated people with respect, we could live in peace and harmony for the new year. The year 2013 is a clean slate, and we can choose how our actions affect the outcome. What will you write on your slate this year? Hopefully, it'll include a way to be kinder to the people around you.