LOL, Smiley Face

So I am sitting here, half watching this movie. "Last House on the Left", my FIOS information guide says that these parents are going to exact revenge on a group of people who brutally attacked their daughter. In my opinion the premise is pretty awesome. Imagine if someone attacked your child, or family member and you were presented with the opportunity to torture them. Some of you may think its barbaric and that the law will provide justice. As much as I want to agree that the legal system will punish them properly, I would also love to beat the crap out of some hoodlums. Can someone make a website where its at the very least simulated? Just kidding, violence is wrong and if the legal system does not deal with criminals properly I hope there is some higher being that does. Whether it is Karma, God, or Marvel's Superhero "The Punisher" something is bound to catch to up to these evil doers!

Really though the idea of violent attacks that are senseless make me sick to my stomach. In many ways we have degenerated ourselves as a society. We used to have a heightened sense of community. Yes people I am talking about small tribes, colonies, and townships that relied on each other to make it through harsh winters and deadly droughts. They had a sense of respect for one another, an understanding of community that we lack. Yes we have progressed with technology, commerce, and personal hygiene. It has clearly been a give and take. We have been able to become more modern societies that do not rely on one another to provide for things and barter, but we have lost respect for each others worth. Look, of course there were criminals back than and people were more primitive, but even at that they had manners. They showed each other respect. I am not talking about the Egyptians, or the Romans, or any of the empires of old. They had specific social constructs but that exists everywhere. I am talking about small townships and tribes. Those empires had slaves and lacked respect for the working class and eventually crumbled because of it.

So what am I trying to say? I am just imploring you as a human being to show some respect and be NICE. What ever happened to please and thank you? What happened to chivalry? What happened to etiquette? I understand that life is a very stressful fast paced one now-a-days, but that doesn't mean we have to forget lessons we have learned as kids. Just the other day I witnessed two middle eastern girls chase another girl into the gym because they were upset that the girl tapped the front of their car as they were driving. Turns out the two middle eastern girls ran a stop sign and HIT the other girl. So instead of trying to examine the situation Jasmine and Cleopatra thought the other girl was just being a B-word and hit their car. Now you can say it boils down to a misunderstanding, and you are right. Jasmine and Cleopatra misunderstood what a stop sign was, and hit this unsuspecting person, who in turn slammed her hand down on the hood of their over priced German car. The victim misunderstood that when you get hit by a car you should fall forward and defy all laws of physics avoiding any whiplash effect, and because of that last misunderstanding between victim and car it led to the two middle eastern girls chasing down their victim in attempts to pull her hair or whatever it is girls do in a fight (yell and whip their neck around violently, I don't know).

So some of you are probably like: "I don't hold doors for people, that's not my thing" or "I shouldn't have to say please and thank you, because it's their job to do it". Point well taken, and let me know when you return from your high speed electric train ride from "Inconsiderateville" No such thing as Inconsiderateville or a high speed electric train, well at least in America (Europe and Japan don't count). The fact is that the world would just be a lot more pleasant if you did those things. I am not asking you to stand at the corner of a busy congested street and give random people hugs. Dave Matthews already did that, and I don't like to imitate. I am an original, so what I am saying is that you should just be a nice person. Be a person that on first glance people don't want to murder with an Axe.

So what does that entail? I am glad you asked! How about you start with using your blinkers on the highway. Try not cutting people off on the road, and if it does happen a wave back to the driver helps. Smiling, is a great way to start your day. If you make eye contact with someone just try it, what's the worst that can happen? [insert really example of the worst case scenario] The worst thing that ever happened to me when I smiled at someone was that they literally jumped back in awe of the prospect that someone smiled at them. Chivalry does not have to die, and having manners shouldn't just be a subject in preschool or a segment on PBS. We can genuinely change each others lives with generosity and kindness. The wonderful thing about it, is that you can never get tired of it. There is no possible way for us as humans to get sick of genuine care and respect. Having consideration for people around us and being positive is a natural energizer. It is a natural stress reliever and it is something easily practiced. I am going to make a commitment to this effort and I hope we can share the experience together. Have a wonderful week everyone.