I Was a Patient JLEDI Yesterday

Scott en Aztlán wrote:

> Net loss: 30 seconds of my valuable time.
> Net gain: NOTHING.

Actaully in this case, I think waiting behind those clowns was a smart
move from a safety standpoint. If they were screwing around like you
described, they they were true MFFY people since their clowning around
was not only interfering with traffic, but actually creating a safety
hazard. A blast from your horn would not be inappropriate in this case
(assuming the facts are as you stated). I probably would not blow the
horn (I hate the extra noise), but I would understand it if you did it.

> So I gotta ask you JLEDIs: what's in it for you? What do you get in
> exchange for the time that you allow others to steal from you?

Let me turn the question around. What you you do with all the time you
save by being in such a hurry all the time?

> Do you
> get a warm fuzzy feeling inside? Do you feel better about yourself in
> some way? And what is it that stops you from defending yourself
> against those who would use you as their doormat?

If everyone in this world was a Hyper Type A person like you, the roads
would be a mess. Just entering a building would turn into a
competition. The bigger, stronger, and more arrogant a person is, the
more people they would feel enpowered to trample in an effort to save 2
seconds here or 15 seconds there. I can picture you raming little old
ladies out of your way in groceries stores becasue they are taking too
long to decide between Special K Regular and Red Berry, or becaue they
spend 2 seconds too long at the dairy case looking for the best
expiration date.

You brought up the Golden Rule in another thread. Think about what the
rule really means. And then ask yourself if you haven't at some point
in you life unecessarily held up another individual, even if it was
only inadvertently (and you might not even know you did it).

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie "Harvey." It is "Years ago
my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you
must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you
must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I
recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

I recommend pleasant as well. And being polite helps too. I am not
alway pleasant, and I am not always polite, but at least I aspire to
be.

> What am I missing?

I think you are missing the fact that you are not special to most of
the people on Earth. You are missing the fact that most of us are not
out to get you. You are spending way too much time looking for the bad
in others.

Ed