old and cranky

I'd like to think of myself as not being old, yet, though I know I am on my way to that eventuality. I had to face up to this recently as I became aware that I was losing my tolerance for certain people and their actions. I've always thought of myself as not being a patient person, but being a tolerant person.

I remember distinctly becoming aware of the point that my mild-mannered, diplomatic father had become cranky and intolerant to the point of being almost down-right nasty at times. Anyone who knew him will find this impossible to believe, and it wasn't drastic or even dramatic, but it was a perceptible shift. At some point he grew sick and tired of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt and voiced his opinions and opposition quite vocally. I remember being shocked at first at this change in demeanor. It wasn't directed at me, or at members of our family, but mostly at figures in the news. Now I understand. After (too) many years on the planet, I, too, have become intolerant of the selfish and the stupid humans I encounter. If you were truly born without a brain, I will take that into consideration, but for all those who simply believe the rules are for other people and do not apply to them, or who simply don't care about inconveniencing others as long as they get their way, I no longer have any tolerance. I will probably get assaulted at some point calling someone out for being selfish and insensitive, but it will likely be because I stood up for someone else rather than for myself. I have an inner voice that says "I am so glad I am not a jerk like you," that I use to protect myself, but I'll stand up for others. I don't like people who take advantage at the expense of their fellow human travelers. I'm not advocating that if you find something on sale you shouldn't buy it in order to leave it for someone who gets there after you, but for heaven's sake can we try to comport ourselves with some consideration for others? The planet is kind of like a crowded elevator, where we should all be kind to our neighbors. Believe whatever you want, but don't push it on the rest of us. We'd like to live they way we want, too.

privacy

How many people who say they want “privacy” are really just trying to shield themselves from criticism? We keep thing private because we want to do and to think what we want without holding ourselves up to any standards- sometimes even our own. We dislike people who tell us the truth because it’s a reality we don’t wish to face; we are deliberately ignoring our own conscience and we resent any intrusion that forces us to examine and defend the prudence of our own actions.

generations

As a result of a conversation about kids going off to college, it occurred to me how parents always relate everything to their own experiences. But let’s face it, our children are going up in a world 20-30 years later than we did- it’s a very different place and a very different experience. We should not expect our children to have- or to want- the same experiences we did. Some things may transcend, but why are we insulted if our kids reject our notions? We did the same with our parents… We should hope they strive to keep pace with their world, and excel in this new place.