I must admit I didn't have the best of mornings with my son, so when I dropped the boys off at school, I wanted to bike home as quickly as possible to clear my mind. I came to a crossing without lights where I was standing on the crosswalk, waiting for a car to stop and let me pass. Normally, someone stops quickly as an act of courtesy; however, apparently not today. Just my luck. Cars drove past with not one showing signs of slowing down. I went closer to the road and gestured with my hand, signalling I wanted to cross.
A BMW (sorry, I have to say it) arrived, which did not stop or slow, even as I signalled more obviously that I wanted to cross. As he crossed and we had eye contact, I gestured, "Come on, you could have let me pass," in a friendly manner, not being provocative. Yet, he slowed down, opened his window, and started yelling at me. I even thought he would turn around at the roundabout to give me a second go.
I understand he could have been under stress or was late; however, he could have chosen a different path of how to interact. We all can. I also wasn't in the best of moods, yet I chose to let it go.
Too often, I see that people take the route of being a dick, especially to people they don't know.
Just as my brother-in-law got yelled at when signalling to a car to slow down when passing his children on the street without pavement, or a student at the register of the grocery market got verbally abused because she made an error. Or a friend of mine getting a bad review because the customer did not get the replacement car he wanted.
Why is that?
What gives you the right to be a dick to others?
And especially to those you don't know.
We all have bad days; however, we can choose how to deal with them and how to express ourselves.
I teach my children to stand up for themselves, especially in the light of injustice; however, they still have to do it in a respectful manner.