People These Days.

I know, I know. I promised I'd never really be on here, and here I am posting twice in one day. I'm sorry. But this is something that really niggled me earlier and I wanted to know if anybody else finds this really annoying.

I took it upon myself to walk to the corner shop after realising I had no cigarettes, food, or any sort of sustenance. Whilst on my way, I encountered several members of the public on what is quite a narrow pathway. Each time I gave way to the person in front of me, standing in the road, on the verge, in driveways and at one point in the path of a determined-looking 60 something cyclist who I genuinely believe would have run me over if I hadn't moved at the moment I did. Out of all of these interactions, only the man with a pram acknowledged me with a mumbled thank you and a small smile.

So when did it become okay not to thank people for acts of kindness I wonder? I make a point of smiling, acknowledging and maybe even engaging in conversation with anybody who so much as moves their trolley out of the way for me in the supermarket. People ought to think about these things. What if that simple nod of thanks made a person see the good in humanity again? Or made them feel that they were worth something when they were at their lowest ebb?

I like to think that this is just a temporary lull in people's general good manners and that one day we can all learn to say 'please' and 'thank you' again. If you feel the same, I think we should organise a club for the disgruntled.



Background Blog: Apologies for the bad joke, but so worth it.