I can remember a day when people had respect for other people, and it wasn't that long ago. What happened to human beings just giving a darn about other human beings? When did our nation become so down right self-centered that we all feel like we are owed something?
The other day, I was at the grocery store and I couldn't help but to notice all the people in the parking lot, zooming around looking for a parking place and talking on their cell phones, not paying a bit of attention to the pedestrians walking around them.I watched as a little old lady, who couldn't have been less than 85 years old, wait at the crosswalk for a good 5 minutes, before the traffic lightened up enough for her to pass. I bet 15 cars passed by her and not one of them stopped to let her cross.
It was 95 degrees outside, and she was standing there in the blazing sun, hoping that someone would have the courtesy to stop and let her go into the store. She didn't flip anyone off, or rant and rave and the cars that were mere inches from running her over as they payed no attention to the crosswalk at all. She just waited patiently for her opening to come. What happened to the days when people gave a darn about the elders in our world? What is so hard about stopping your car, sitting for 20 seconds in the air conditioned convenience of the cushy front seat, while this little old lady made her way out of the heat? NOTHING...yet it seems that in today's world, people think the world revolves around them.
I had the pleasure of participating in the funeral of a long time family friend who passed away this week. I volunteered to be a Paul Bearer for the family. This very special lady was my neighbor growing up, and her family has always been like a second family to me so I was happy to help in any way I could. We attended the service, and then afterward, we got in our procession to head to the burial grounds. One car after another lined up with their hazard lights on as we followed the family car and the hearse across town.
I could not help but to notice how many people pulled over on the side of the road and stopped, showing their respects, as we passed by them. It was a short procession, so the wait for the oncoming traffic was as minimal as any funeral service I have ever been to. I also couldn't help but notice the overwhelming number of cars who didn't stop...didn't slow down, or pause at all. They just blasted right by all those who did stop as if they were angry for having to go around them. Not only did a huge number of on-comers not show respect for the death, but a ton of cars actually passed by our procession traveling the same direction, as we slowly went about our business. Are you kidding me? You pass a funeral procession as if they are holding you up? In my mind, your wife better be laying in the back seat with child about to bust, or there better be a major emergency for you to show that kind of disrespect for any family that has just lost a loved one.
As we inched our way through stop lights and intersections, I couldn't help but feel myself getting more angry at the thought of this kind of disrespect. I noticed in my rear view mirror that the outside lane of traffic was coming up beside us at a normal everyday pace, and so I did what anyone else should do in that same circumstance...I PULLED OVER INTO THEIR LANE AND MADE THEM SLOW DOWN AND RESPECT THE DEAD ! I hope those few cars that were planning to pass us got furious when I broke their speed down and locked them into a traffic jam behind us. I hope they had to sit there and pay attention to what was going on. More important, I hope they learned a lesson about respect, so next time, they will stay behind the procession and deal with the extra 10 minutes added to their useless lives.
I hope you all learn a lesson from my experience too. If you see someone trying to inch by a funeral, or if you are on the opposite side of the road and cars are honking at you because you stopped and they need to get by...pull your car sideways so they CANNOT pass, and make a statement for respect. Our country needs it, our youth needs to see it, and the dead and their families deserve it. If your mom, dad, sister, brother, or son or daughter had just left this God forsaken world, would that extra 5 minutes out of your day actually matter? Slow down and show some respect...if we don't respect others, who will respect us.
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