I would like to think that consideration, just a simple gesture of human respect, would be something that we acquired easily as children.  I’d have thought it would be a natural inclination for human beings to be openly interested in being this way. Perhaps it is. But maybe, it must be nurtured in order to become a regular habit in our daily dealings with other people.

I have come to believe that if indeed we have this instinct, so to speak, that it can either be negated or encouraged by the people around us when we are young.  So, that would make it something that must be intentionally taught to have lasting impact.

This may seem to be a small thing to do.  At least, to me it does, because of my life experience. Logically, it would mean that this trait would have been learned in the previous generation. Therein may lie a problem. If this behavior has broken down long ago in the generational train, then it has to be learned somewhere else.

If not at home, school would seem to be the next logical place to learn to be considerate. Unfortunately, when children are exposed to any inappropriate behavior by other students, the problem is exacerbated there.  Peer pressure is responsible for a lot of unacceptable conduct. This is especially true in middle school and on into high school.  Consideration suffers because of this. It is not a “cool” thing to do.

Eventually, most people will learn that it is to their advantage to behave in certain ways in order to achieve their goals.  The only problem in today’s society, is that it has become more acceptable to be unkind, and still find economic success. And sometimes being nice and considerate is seen to be a weakness.  I guess this has always been true. But technology has the power to influence young and old alike, sometimes not for the better.

That brings me to the conclusion of this particular rambling.  If consideration is to become the norm, we will have to collectively make it so.  If enough of us decide that consideration is an important aspect of daily living in our society we will become a critical mass.  A critical mass can create the chain reaction that could change our world into a much more considerate place. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be part of this quest, and each do our part to make this true?  I think so. And if you have read thus far, I think that you might feel this way too.