People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered...

Why are people so awful to each other? I realize that it's Monday, I realize that you may not have gotten all the sleep you need, and I can certainly sympathize if you have one or more things going on in your life that you wish you didn't have to deal with. Trust me. I've been there.

But...

That in no way grants you the right to treat other people like crap. I don't care how awful my day is going, or how stressed out I feel. When a nasty thought comes into my head while dealing with someone, I clamp my mouth firmly closed because no one else wants to be treated like shit, either! What is wrong with people? Is it absolutely necessary to verbalize the tiny little facetious thing that pops into your head? How is that productive? It's not, it's mean. Especially since you have no idea what that person may be going through, or that your obnoxious little opinion might just pry the floodgates open and everything that person has been trying to keep at bay all comes pouring out.

What has happened to people's ability to filter their thoughts? When someone is trying to explain a point in class, don't make an under-your-breath comment (loud enough for the entire room to hear) to make the person look stupid. It's rude, and moreover, it's humiliating. Unless you are willing to civilly and rationally counter that person's argument, take a deep breath, let the negative thought go, and keep your mouth shut. Try and be conscious of how what you do and say affects other people. This is what we like to call common decency!

Why can't people be just a little more conscientious to others? You have the right to be upset and communicate that you feel that way, but that is different from being abrasive to people you hardly know. And I know I've been guilty of this more than once, but damn it, at least I can admit it! And make a conscious effort every day to work on it! Your bad day does not trump anyone else's, so just be patient with people, and have some compassion and empathy, and communicate positively. You have no right to passive aggressively antagonize everyone else just because your day isn't going perfectly splendidly.

Be good and kind to everyone- you have no idea what they're going through. We don't wear signs that say, "I have had a difficult week, and while I'm proactively trying to remain positive I am still feeling quite fragile and sad, so please be nice to me today." So, in the instance that the person who is annoying you slightly is only doing so because he/she may be dealing with issues herself, lay off the mean-spirited sarcasm and just play nice. This is how grown-ups behave.

The first line of Anyway goes, "People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway." I'm trying really hard. It's just really difficult when you try so hard to be conscientious and aware of other people. But when you yourself are feeling particularly fragile, people are so focused on themselves that they don't think about how what they are doing might affect you.

Have some patience, love, conscientiousness, compassion, and empathy. All the time. Maybe you can avoid shattering whatever is left of a person's emotional strength.

Ahhhhhhhhhh- men.