To Tolerate the Intolerant

It is all around us. You can see it in the streets, while driving, walking, in the air, even in the water, anywhere there are humans I guess… What is it you may ask? Pollution? Well, that is one of the symptoms... but I am ranting about inconsiderate and intolerant behaviour.

We can see inconsiderate behaviour when the flipping cell-phone rings during a movie, or when people rush into the trains before others have had a chance to get off and don’t get me started on drivers on our roads! I guess these the more “blatant” ones but how about the less “obvious” ones?

How about drinking and driving? I think it shows fairly blatant disregard for the safety and lives of others even if the driver should reach home safely. How about using more plastic bags than you really need to when you go shopping? That’s being inconsiderate about the environment which affects everyone. I guess the question that arises then is where do we draw the line? Is the fact that I am typing this stuff on my laptop in the middle of the night simply to satisfy my urge to speak out a case of inconsiderate behaviour since I am using up electricity and energy? Hmmm… lets move on.

The examples above are errors (if you can call it that) of commission. How about errors of omission? How about not helping when someone is clearly in need? How about the able-bodied person ignoring a standing, less able-bodied person on a train or bus?

I actually think that by doing nothing about the inconsiderate people around us, we are actually allow it to multiply and grow to a menace that will affect us in some way in future. If only we could all work together and support one another so that we do not tolerate the intolerant. For example, if people knew that 95% of a cinema audience would have the guts to approach an inconsiderate cell phone chatter box, I am sure we will see the last of their kind.

Ah… for a place called utopia…