Please be nice
Well it doesn’t really cost anything to be nice or at least civil to our fellow human beings.
However it has become commonplace to be short and demeaning to people we meet casually as we go about our daily lives!
I am the sort of guy that is friendly, curious, helpful and always up for a quick chat with my fellow human beings. This is one of the reasons I chose to drive for Uber as I enjoy driving my car and meeting people.
As that famous movie saying goes – ‘Life is like a box of chocolates you just don’t know what your going to get’
There have been times when I have met people whilst either driving for Uber or simply walking to work or out shopping where I had a need to engage with them and yet the replies I got were rather sharp and dismissive.
One case that comes to mind was when I stopped off one Saturday evening to get a coffee and I noticed the lady before me was also a Uber driver as she had the App open and she got a ping request for a ride whilst ordering her coffee.
She ignored it and ordered her coffee anyway and then moved over to wait. I ordered mine and moved across as well. I looked at her and simply asked ‘How is it going tonight – getting many jobs so far?’
She looked at me and grunted – not even a smile. I smiled back and asked her ‘Do you like driving for Uber?’
Another condescending look came my way and then some words followed ‘I shouldn’t be driving now as I don’t do evenings’ Well what a ray if sunshine she was!
I am not sure if Uber attracted the right type of Driver Partner here but her interaction with me was blunt and I simply don’t understand why she couldn’t simply be polite instead. I wondered what it would be like getting her as a driver?
Maybe she had a bad day or night, maybe a she had a argument with her partner or it was simply a hormone inspired response? I will never know as she simply took her coffee and walked out into the night.
The simple fact is she was breathtakingly rude! Maybe she was the odd one out however is it the type of responses we have all become so use to its becomes commonplace and we have learned to expect it?
Now back to driving, pedestrians are often rude simply stepping out with either their earphones in, or face planted to their phones screen, as if crossing the road wherever and whenever they like is their birthright and not an action which must be carefully and respectfully negotiated with motorists. I have often said that its not the cars I worry about driving late on a Saturday night, I’m more worried about the human beings darting around the road and vehicles generally who I might add, have paid a lot of money for the privilege to occupy the road!
Mean people suck
The trouble with rudeness is it seems to be catching on. Promoted and highlighted by dominate public figures like Gordon Ramsey, Donald Trump and even our past Prime Ministers like Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. Crickey even KRudd is still having a sook over his failure to be nominated to the United Nations.
We can all start to make a change, teach your kids (and encourage them) to say please and thank-you on every occasion, show respect to shop assistants and cafe/restaurant staff by being off your phone whilst you are conducting business with them, don’t be checking your Social Media accounts whilst also trying to have a conversation in the Train/Bus or Uber and smile at your fellow humans on occasions for no other reason than to put them at ease because you smiled first. Its not creepy if done right.
Finally embrace good deeds, generosity, openness and perpetuate a genuine warmth towards all people without preconditions or judgement and seek to make the earth a better place to live and work.
You never know you could start to enjoy life more, increase friendships and even live longer as it takes less muscles to smile than not to 🙂