Rudeness in America

I was out of town July 5th-6th. I was driving in unfamiliar territory and made a minor (very minor) mistake while merging into traffic. The young man in the other car slammed on his brakes (completely unnecessary) and proceeded to stare me down for a good ten seconds, then mouthed a few choice words and slowly went on his way, still glaring at me like I had done something so foul, I should be executed on the spot. I had out of state license plates and while I was in the wrong, it should have been clear by my hesitation and subsequent reaction that this was not a calculated attempt to bully my way into traffic.

This just reinforces what I have witnessed time and time again in the last few years. People are ticked off and looking for any excuse to get in a confrontation, no matter how minor the situation. What the hell is wrong with you people??? Mistakes happen. People make mistakes. It's a fact of life and I'm quite certain even those that react like that young man have made their share of mistakes. Of course, if they screw up, they feel it's the fault of someone else and fail to see that they *may* have made an error in judgment. Horrors!!!! Frankly, I'm sick of the sense of entitlement some people carry around. Maybe some day they will realize..... No one owes you squat. Learn some tolerance and patience. Toss in a large dose of humility. It does wonders for the soul and maybe, just maybe, it will make you a better person.