What In The World.....

I had another post scheduled for today but while I was in the midst of running errands this morning, I was hit smack dab in the face with "it" again.  I know I've blogged about the subject before, but once again I am left wondering what has happened to our world.  Everywhere you go profanity is being shot out of people's mouths as though if it is a part of normal speech.  Hateful attitudes and impatient behavior has also become the norm.  What in the world are we, as a society, becoming?

This morning I was at Lowe's picking up some foundation plants to replace the ones which didn't survive the harsh winter we experienced this year.  I had just walked up to the flowers outside of the nursery area when a man started spewing out the most revolting words at the nursery employees.  The employees were putting forth a heroic effort to remain calm and professional against the onslaught of this man's tirade.

Honestly, I became quite frightened for my safety with how angry this man became.  He was slinging every epithet he could think of, including denigrating one of the employee's race.  Feeling like this situation was quickly going from bad to worse, I went and stood behind the very tall metal carts the store uses to display a large quantity of plants in the most minimal space possible.

I peeked through the cart of geraniums like Arte Johnson from Laugh-In as I pulled my cell phone out of my purse.  I was prepared to duck bullets and dial 911 at the same time.  I was counting on the geranium's leaves and flower heads to stop any speeding bullets.

In addition to the fear I was feeling, I was positively horrified that a 60+ year old man could be so positively hateful and vile to another human being.  You hear about it in the news.  Maybe you even experience a degree of it.  But to bear witness to something of this caliber was not only life-altering, but heartbreaking.

Is there anything on this planet that could merit such a diatribe of hate?  What could cause this man to be so upset?  Apparently, the nursery employee who loads the heavy items into your vehicle had not loaded the man's items into his truck right when he pulled up, which caused the man to have to wait.

It didn't matter that the employee was assisting an elderly woman, who had arrived first, with loading vegetable plants and bags of soil into her vehicle.  This man did not care.  He was absolutely irate that he'd been inconvenienced and "forced" to wait.

The fact that this man thought he was justified to curse, spew venom and hatred, and make horribly racist comments, made the pit of my stomach sink.  This kind of behavior would never have been acceptable when I was growing up.  This man would've been arrested for abuse and using profane language in public.  These days though, it's become all too common.

I heard a phrase recently which has really struck a chord within me: "Be the change you wish to see in the world".  From this point forward, our family will be making a very concerted effort to be the change.  We may not be able to change the world, but we can certainly do our part to make it a little less ugly.

And honestly, it won't take much effort on our part.  A simple smile, being patient and waiting our turn, using respectful language, showing kindness and compassion, actually listening to what someone is saying, treating others the way we want to be treated, and being the friend we want others to be to us, can change the world.

Are you willing to be the change you wish to see in the world?  I sure hope so.

Written by Christie Bielss