It has been a very long time since I've posted here and as was the case last time, the flag still doesn't want to sit on the White House. I don't have many good excuses, it's just mainly been work, and reading, and family, and friends.
Except over the last few days I was compelled to write. Since I've just taken my first exam of four, I think it's acceptable to have a bit of a, what I hope is well-written, rant.
It occurs to me that people on the whole are not very nice to each other, and often there's no real reason for it. We have our own friends, and that's all very dandy (generally speaking) but otherwise we take little interest and care in the well-being of others.
My first reason for sharing this stems from a general observation: very few people smile back when I smile at them in the street. Now, reading this, it might seem to you that there's a very good reason for that (no insults please!) or that it's fairly legitimate because people don't know who I am, and I take your points, but isn't it much nicer if someone smiles back? The rare returned smile I get genuinely makes a difference, even though it's only temporary. Those who refuse to acknowledge my presence make me feel as though they think I've captured them if they smile back and therefore I'm going to take out my knife and stab them. Rest assured, I'm not. I don't own a knife. I once read that you should always smile at people if you can: you don't know what's going through someone's mind or what's happening to them that day, and you might just make the difference.
Which leads me on quite succinctly on. I begin with an example. I got out of a taxi on campus on Wednesday lunchtime with a suitcase. Girl, with suitcase, on her own, in exam week. I got a couple of looks, and behind those looks appeared to be judgements. I then had to take my suitcase with me to the hub of campus, the new Forum, when I went to buy a sandwich, followed by a lecture deemed "compulsory". More looks. Possibly more judgements. Then I went to work, and I was utterly unhappy. I did my best to wait on people who were not always easy customers, and my colleagues seemed to know what was wrong, although I didn't ask, but I still had uncomfortable moments when people were unhelpful and inconsiderate, and were obvious about it. Similarly, during my shift the next day, a chef who barely knows me made comments about my happiness and simply got in my way and regarded me as a mere waitress, although he was impeding me from doing my job and I'd been so busy I'd barely stopped all evening. Thankfully some customers were kinder, but not all.
If you've read through all that, then well done, and thank you. I appreciate it's been rather a long way of getting to my point but here it is: no one really knows what people are thinking or feeling on the inside. The girl who got out of the taxi had just said a final goodbye to her aunt the day before, and then left her family three hours away to come back to life's sometimes unfortunate commitments. She'd spent time being strong, and needed temporarily not to be. We all need to be more considerate, not just sometimes, but always. It's a conscious effort that everybody needs to make until it's no longer a conscious effort.
You'll be sorely missed, Dot.
(Just to share, not everybody has been moronic the last few days.)
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