Is our generation becoming too uncaring?

[Lulav]

I had a rather traumatic, harrowing experience on Monday and have been trying to 'get over it'.
The main problem is that I have a bit of a photographic mind, or more precisely, it isn't like snapshots but more like a video and it keeps replaying over and over in my mind, despite what I try to do.

I'm disabled and have been for many years and my husband usually does the shopping for us. When I go occasionally, it's for a specific reason where I have to be there to look over things and this time it was a case of that plus hubby was really tired after working (he's in his mid 70's) so off I went. My sciatic nerve was really misbehaving so I was moving particularly slow, took the cane with me and when I pulled into the shopping center I saw that where there used to be the Pet Smart (which I knew had recently moved) there was now a brand new Dollar Store. I love the dollar store and there were some things I was wanting to get there and hadn't been to the one we have that is further away to I went there first.

It took awhile for me to navigate the store, and I found a lot of things that my other store doesn't have along with the things I was looking for. I've been doing some reorganizing of late and picked up quite a few containers for different things. I also got some big flower pots so my cart was pretty full when I got up to the register.

I never like to 'hold anyone up' and I always let someone go ahead of me when I see they only have a few things, sometimes, even more than one. I do the same in traffic too. I looked at the lanes to see what was open. There was one lane that had two people in it and another that had one, I choose the one with two and pulled my cart in.

I waited through their purchases and as soon as there was room on the counter I began to unload my cart. There was no one behind me at that time. When the cashier started to ring me up I looked and there were about three people behind me, I glanced over at the other register and saw there was no one there. I had unloaded everything and was helping the girl to bag my things. I paid and there was a problem with the credit card machine so she had to ring it twice and then I moved out. I pulled my cart over at the front of the store to steady the large containers and pots that were sitting on top, also to reach into my purse to get my car keys. I heard the woman that was behind me ask for the managers name to the checkout girl. I guessed she was mad because that was the only open registar but that is how it usually is in those kinds of stores because the employees have to do everything, run the check out, clean the floors, restock, straighten things up, so they try to do that stuff when there aren't a lot of customers at check out.

So I got my keys out and headed to the door. This didn't take more than 30 seconds or so but when I got to the door (and it had double doors both inside and on the outside) it had to be pushed from inside and with my cart it was a bit of a struggle to do so (I was trying to push on the left side door). I saw a young man coming up to the store and wondered if he would help me. Just as I was thinking about that I heard a sharp sound to my right and saw the same woman who was behind me in line slam through the door. Never stopping to hold it for me. Thankfully the young man came through after looking strangely at her and opened the inside door for me and held it while opening the outside door as well. I thanked him a couple of times. (He was raised right! )

As I got outside I saw that same woman walking swiftly up the main thruway in the shopping complex. I didn't think anymore about it, just thinking she must have had a bad day and was in a hurry. I walked down the sidewalk until I got to the cross walk out to the parking lot. Even though it's law that motorists must stop for those in the walkways I usually wave them on so I don't have to hurry across. I think I waited for one car and then started across. It lead to the side of the aisle that cars coming out would be. There was no one coming and I was headed directly across to where I had parked my car in the handicap spot. I had just started across when out of the corner of my eye I saw a car coming up towards me in the lane. Since it is common knowledge to stop at the end of the parking lane to check for traffic that has the right of way along the store fronts, I figured where they were I would be able to get across before they got to where I was and that they would be slowing down as they came to the end of the lane.

Was I wrong! The car (actually a van or SUV) sped up and if I hadn't stopped and pulled my cart back I would have been struck. All I saw was a blur of this vehicle which cut across the lane and out into the main lane. The driver was the same woman who had slammed the door open next to me in the store. She either pointed at me, shook her fist or gave me the finger, I'm not sure, but she sped out of the lane without stopping at all and almost hit another car.

I was shocked.

I've seen younger kids hot-rodding around and not being considerate of older people so while it may not be great at least it's somewhat understandable.

However...

This women, from what I saw of her was around my age, 60's.

I'm still stunned by this and was pretty shaken up. I put my purchases away and then went into the market I had come in the first place to shop in but was so distressed from this I had to call my husband and I forgot most of the stuff I had come there to get.

I still can't understand it. Is our generation so selfish and uncaring? You read about or hear on the news about those in their 20's raping 80 year old women, or other heinous crimes similar, but are we so far gone our generation is just as bad?

Thanks for listening to my rant.

 

[Basil the Great]

Sadly, I do feel that people are not as caring as they were when we were younger.

 

[joymercy]

My dear Lulav, friend and mentor, let me advise a strategy of love that has been most helpful to me if I may.

This Lenten season, partake on a journey to create your life to be a prayer.

Remembering his wounds, his pain and sufferings, pray for others day in and day out, for god to have mercy on them and on the whole world.

Try to be prayerful, meditative and contemplative as you go about your tasks every day.

When encountering any difficulties, practice immediately saying a short prayer, like, Lord have mercy, as you look upon the person or situation that is causing difficulties.

Sincerely and deeply forget the worlds ways, and develop the heart of Jesus, and over time you will find that the initial response you used to have, say, anger, in this example, will genuinely be replaced with real, actual Mercy as your very first response to the situation.

Having mercy is not the worlds norm, and with practice, we can overcome the flesh and make mercy our norm, lulav. It has taken me 3 years to gain this practice in my daily walk.

I can't judge generations, my sister, but I can judge individuals in their unique situations and I can have mercy on them with the love of Jesus that dwells in my heart.

Practice going intentionally to dollar store and with the full knowledge that there may be tension or
rudeness, approach prayfully, even singing a prayer to yourself in your spirit.

Quietly observe the customers and children and bless them in your heart and pray for them as you go along, asking for the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world!

Just keep in this contemplative mind, making your life and how you live it, a prayer.

This will bring so much peace and love to you and to the others in the store as they walk alongside of you.

 

[Lulav]

Thanks joymercy for your insight.

Please know I was not angry, I felt she might be having a bad day but I was taken aback that it was a contemporary and how her anger at me for nothing I did purposefully could have had dire effects, not only on myself but others. As she zoomed out of the lane into the moving traffic she was looking at me and could have hit someone on the other side walking, a child or even another car.

I've heard about road rage but never experienced it before. I can understand if you like cut someone off or something like that, it's not right but at least it's understandable, but her actions did not fit the circumstances.

I thanked God that he had watched out for me and others surrounding the situation.

Thanks again!

 

[Odetta]

I think some people grow crankier as they age because maybe life hasn't turned out as they'd hoped and they are bitter. So minor irritations become major ordeals for them.

 

[rebornfree]

I'm sorry that you had such a horrible experience lulav and hope that sharing it helped somewhat.

It sounds like the woman was either just uncaring (her problem not yours ) or had had a really bad day. You never know what can be behind people's behaviour - she may have just had devastating news; she may have been in a rush to get to a hospital appointment or visit someone seriously ill or some other issue - you just don't know.

 

[joymercy]

@rebornfree , yes, one never really knows, so its best to have a heart of mercy.
Its so hard to forgive, but when you see with new eyes of mercy, you will see all the lost souls and deeply desire to pray for them. They, we, all need it!