Where's the love?

Today I had a thought, a musing if you will. Why are people so horrible to each other? I stood dutifully at my post in a large retail store with my red polo tucked in and my name tag securely fastened, and was suddenly disgusted with the human race. Every day I either see, or come into contact with, a person being downright nasty to another human being. The tone of voice and the language people use to address each other is foul. The looks one gives another are just gross. And we as human beings are so used to this. We let these blows just slide right over us, without noticing how nasty we are to each other. Yes, it's a part of being human to be mean (I mean just listen to Taylor Swift's groundbreaking song 'Mean") and one shouldn't let these horrible things ruin their day....but why are these things even happening? Shouldn't you look at a person and feel compassion or even just a little familiarity towards them? Why do people harass the waiter who is just doing their job? Why does the cashier get snide remarks about policies they have zero control over? Why do we blame those who are only there to help? 

I'm not saying I'm innocent. I've gotten angry or fed up with someone I know has zero power. But why? What is inside each and every one of us that makes us act so negatively towards our fellow man? Impatience? Jealousy? Are we in such hurries to finish our mundane tasks that we are wiling to trod all over other people? Absolutely yes. I've been treated like an animal because a person is simply in a hurry. They know nothing about me. They don't know the cross I bear, the battles I've won and lost. They don't know the countless people I love or the thoughts in my head. 

If every person just took a breath and remembered we are all doing the best we can perhaps life would be a little sweeter. Maybe it would rid the world of traffic jams or unbearable lines at the grocery store or world hunger. Who freaking knows? A kind word or a smile or even a little patience goes a long way. Just remember to be kind to each other...because no one likes an asshole. 

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.    -Mark Twain