Jerry was taking a leisurely saunter along a typical city street when three very different yet related incidents occurred to interrupt his stroll.
The first was an approaching female who was busily keying in messages on her cellphone. Since she rarely looked up to see where she was going, she would have bumped directly into Jerry if he hadn’t stepped aside to clear her path.
The second case was an obnoxious fellow who was confronting folks for a financial handout. Panhandlers are common enough, but this indigent was aggressively demanding dollar bills, not spare change.
The third episode involved a food delivery boy riding an electrical-assisted two-wheeler. Without any apparent reason, the youth decided to leave the bicycle lane and continue his route on the sidewalk. He approached Jerry from behind and nearly knocked him over. Perhaps the non-peddling courier was distracted because he was helping himself to a handful of the Tater Tots he was supposed to be bringing to a customer.
Jerry also had to work hard to ignore the extremely loud music coming from passing automobiles which easily drowned out the blaring sirens of emergency vehicles.
What was most disconcerting about all three encounters was the fact that none of the offenders offered an apology for their antisocial behavior. On the contrary, the woman, the man, and the boy continued their texting, intruding, and pilfering with an air of entitlement.
Are these examples rare snapshots of rude behavior or is such lack of thoughtfulness becoming the common picture in our “all-about-me” culture? When Jerry returned to his house, this bewildered pedestrian had to ask himself, “When was the practice of being considerate of others tossed to the gutter and washed into the city sewer?”
Consideration is defined as showing kindly awareness or high regard for others. This virtue embodies the first of the four cardinal virtues, namely prudence. The other three are justice, fortitude, and temperance. The unspoken irony here relates to the three remaining cardinal virtues. Justice, which means fairness, fortitude, which assumes courage, and temperance, which requires self-restraint, are the virtues that the victims must practice when they bear the brunt of disrespect from inconsiderate others. Anyone who has suffered from the whims of a rude person knows that equity is amiss, bravery is warranted, and restraint is the better part of retaliation.
Since statistics confirm that nearly half of New Year’s resolutions fail by the end of January, can we select an easier, more sustainable practice this year? Can we consider being more considerate? Here are five examples of easy ways to be considerate of others, however, we can all think of many more. Holding a door open for someone to pass through. Allowing the person in line behind us to proceed before us. Giving up our seat on public transportation to someone who is standing. Permitting space in front of our car for a vehicle trying to change lanes. Or just restoring the words “please” and “thank you” to our daily vocabulary particularly at home or at work.
Holy Homework
Let’s create a simple sign that reads “Considerate in 2023” and place it over the most frequently used entrance/exit in our home. Let’s resolve to be more considerate of others by practicing this virtue on a daily basis so that it lasts beyond January 31.
Happy New Year Considerations
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