There is no excuse for being rude.  Being indignant for a good reason can even be acceptable, but rudeness has a nasty attitude attached to it.  It shouldn’t be tolerated.  I have observed rudeness in young people more today than I ever remember it my lifetime.  I think that it may be a result of the “me generation” gone wrong.  “Looking out for number one,” has brought out an extreme influx of self-involvement that threatens to tear us apart.  If life continues in this way, the situation will only grow more vitriolic.  And what we need more than ever is an attitude of cooperation and awareness of others’ wants and needs.

So what do we do?  Well, consequences for this behavior would be a good start.  Making amends for one’s bad behavior is another appropriate response.  I know that for me personally, when I realize that I have done something wrong, I apologize.  It clears my conscience, acknowledges the fact that I know I have done wrong, and allows me an opportunity to atone for my actions.  This is good for me because it identifies areas that I have faulty thinking about.  Perhaps it is even an experience of not thinking at all.  Once I see the error, I have the chance to learn something about myself and re-evaluate my actions, reactions and thought patterns.  I can then consider what I might have done differently and make a change for the better.

Now, I don’t want to pick on young people and say that they are the only problem.  Age is not the main factor.  In fact, I don’t think this issue would be so prevalent in kids if there were not so many examples for them to follow in our society.  There will need to be a major shift in our collective thinking about this issue for it to get back on track.

Tragedy often brings people together in cooperative action.  The events of 9/11 brought out the best in people as our citizens became far more concerned about what happened to some of us than the danger to themselves.  Beginning with the heroic actions of the first responders and branching out to ordinary people, self-involvement fell by the wayside when we, as a country, bonded together against the evil deeds that were perpetrated upon us.

But, after the passage of time, those feelings of humanistic solidarity waned and gradually we sank back into self-interest and the behavior that goes with it.  Awareness is key to making a change of any kind.  Maybe it would behoove us to examine our consciences and decide what each of us can do within ourselves to make a positive difference.  I always like to say that if we didn’t need each other, then there would only be one of us here.  It’s something to think about, either way.  Self-involvement and the rudeness that often accompanies it, is not a pretty picture of us.  I for one, would like the chance to have a photo retake day.