Self-awareness.

Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, “would an idiot do that?” And if they would, I do not do that thing.

-Dwight Schrute

Okay, so I’ll admit that Dwight isn’t self-aware in general, but those are sage words that a lot more people should follow.

We all experience the following scenario: we’re driving along, and come to a crosswalk with an able-bodied young pedestrian waiting to cross. You slow to a stop and yield to them so that they can go ahead and cross. The able-bodied young pedestrian proceeds to saunter across about as slowly as a person can go from point A to point B. They’ve got the legal right of way, after all, and they really don’t care about how long they make you, and other cars behind you, wait.

Is this a big deal? Well, I’m an awfully impatient person in general, but I will still concede that it really isn’t that big of a deal, it costs me an extra 15-20 seconds and it’s over. It’s mostly just an irritation, a microcosm of the complete lack of respect that people today (particularly young people) pay to courtesy and selflessness. They’re going to take their time crossing the street, they’re going to talk too loudly on their cell phone in a quiet public place, they’re going to let their kid misbehave and raise a ruckus in a restaurant and not do a thing about it. Is this an inconvenience to others? They don’t care. Most of them probably don’t even think about it.